Department for Transport

Bus Services: Concessions

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the change was in the level of government reimbursement to local authorities for the cost of the English National Concessionary Transport Scheme between 2010 and 2015.

Andrew Jones: This data is not held by the Department for Transport. In 2010-11, £223m was paid to local authorities as a specific grant to deliver the National Concessionary Transport Scheme. In 2011-12, this funding was transferred to the Local Government Finance Settlement, from where it has been delivered since. As the settlement distributes un-ringfenced funding to cover a number of services delivered by local authorities, it is not possible to identify the level of funding within the settlement specifically for national concessionary transport from the point the funding was transferred.

Taxis: Wheelchairs

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2016 to Question 23178, what recent progress the Government has made on planning to enact section 165 of the Equality Act 2010 on alternative means of ensuring that wheelchair users are able to access taxis.

Andrew Jones: The Government is continuing to actively consider how best to address problems wheelchair users face when using taxis and private hire vehicles, including the possible commencement of Section 165 of the Equality Act 2010.

Driving: Disability

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to apply for an extension to the exemption to the European Regulation 181/2011/EU for drivers from the requirement for disability awareness training for personnel of carriers and terminal managing bodies after March 2017.

Andrew Jones: Positive interaction between drivers and disabled passengers can be key to giving many people the confidence to travel by bus, and so I welcome the industry’s continuing efforts to deliver effective disability awareness training within the Certificate of Professional Competence. Regulation 181/2011 will make such training compulsory for all drivers when the present five year exemption ends in February 2018. The exemption cannot be renewed beyond this date but we are working with bus operators to ensure they have the tools to deliver meaningful training, meeting the needs of drivers and disabled passengers alike.

Bus Services: Wheelchairs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with bus companies on priority wheelchair spaces on buses.

Andrew Jones: The Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations (PSVAR) 2000 require all affected vehicles to incorporate a designated space suitable for a reference wheelchair. The use of the wheelchair space is currently the subject of a case at the Supreme Court however. As such Ministers are unable to discuss it with bus operators.

Taxis: Assistance Dogs

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations his Department has received on the incidence of refusals by taxi drivers to carry assistance dogs; and if he will introduce compulsory disability awareness training for drivers of taxis and private hire vehicles.

Andrew Jones: I am aware of the ongoing problems passengers accompanied by assistance dogs encounter when using taxis and private hire vehicles. The Department has issued comprehensive guidance to both licensing authorities and the licensed industry in respect of the relevant duties in the Equality Act 2010. Any allegations of breaches of the Act must be reported to the local licensing authority to enable them to take appropriate action. Although there is no legal requirement for taxi and private hire vehicle drivers to undertake disability awareness training, the Department’s Best Practice Guidance on taxi and private hire vehicle licensing recommends that local licensing authorities to work with the industry in their area to improve drivers’ awareness of the needs of disabled people. This includes encouraging their drivers to undertake disability awareness training.

Railway Stations: Staff

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has received from (a) consumer groups and (b) railway franchise holders on the level of staffing at small railway stations; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: Whilst we regulate Ticket Office opening times through the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement, station staffing levels are primarily a matter for operators as we believe that they themselves are best placed to determine how to meet the needs of their passengers. Since February 2015, 3 ticket offices have reduced their opening hours after train companies followed the procedure as set out in the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement, which includes making representation to the Department. Passenger Focus (as was) and London TravelWatch provided responses to the East Anglia franchise public consultation with regard to staffing.More recently, both Transport Focus and London TravelWatch have made representations to the Department with regard to the South Western franchise consultation and staffing. Representatives from Govia Thameslink Railway have also briefed officials at the Department on their plans to carry out a consultation on proposals to change ticket office opening hours at some stations.

Cycling: Greater London

Mr Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) deaths and (b) injuries to cyclists in London were caused by (i) buses, (ii) lorries and (iii) other vehicles in each of the last three years.

Mr Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) deaths and (b) injuries to pedestrians in London were caused by (i) buses, (ii) lorries and (iii) other vehicles in each of the last three years.

Andrew Jones: The statistics below show the number of cyclist and pedestrian casualties in reported personal injury road accidents with buses, HGVs and other vehicles. The data do not include information about who or what caused the accident, this information would only be known following a detailed accident investigation. The number of cyclists a) killed, b) seriously injured and slightly injured in two vehicle reported personal injury road accidents with a i) bus, ii) HGV or iii) other vehicle in London is shown in the table below: Cyclist casualties in a two vehicle reported road accident with a i) bus or coach, ii) HGV or iii) other vehicle: London, 2012-2014  Vehicle: i) Bus or Coachii) HGViii) Other1 KilledSeriousSlightTotalKilledSeriousSlightTotalKilledSeriousSlightTotal2012222117141414648265493,4974,05220133111141285138910753993,6154,0192014016105121289710793404,1634,5121. Other includes motorcyclists, cars, light goods vehicles and other vehicles such as trams and mobility scooters.  The number of pedestrians a) killed, b) seriously injured and slightly injured after being hit by a i) bus, ii) HGV or iii) other vehicle in a reported personal injury road accident in London is shown in the table below: Pedestrian casualties after being hit by a i) bus or coach, ii) HGV or iii) other vehicle in reported road accidents: London, 2012-2014  Hit by:i) Bus or Coachii) HGViii) Other1 KilledSeriousSlightTotalKilledSeriousSlightTotalKilledSeriousSlightTotal2012117526835411294787489503,8334,831201366327434313205184466914,0224,759201465130035712165280486484,4845,1801. Other includes pedal cyclists, motorcyclists, cars, light goods vehicles and other vehicles such as trams and mobility scooters.

Roads: Accidents

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he has taken to ensure that Highways England (HE) has agreed contingency plans with each local authority for the management of major incidents in their areas; how many local authorities have agreed a contingency plan with HE; and how many local authorities have not yet agreed such a plan with HE.

Andrew Jones: Highways England has a Crisis Management Manual which provides protocols for the management of the response for incidents that significantly affect the strategic road network. Highways England is in the process of developing partnership agreements with 120 Local Authorities. So far, 65 partnership agreements have been sent out to Local Authorities. These include protocols for agreeing and using diversion routes when a section of the network has to be closed. The vast majority of these authorities accept the principles of the agreement, but in some cases specific local issues need to be resolved and Highways England is engaged with those authorities to resolve them. However, it should be noted that a partnership agreement or otherwise would not adversely interfere with Highways England and Local Authorities working cooperatively in an emergency. As a Category 2 responder in the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, Highways England participates in Local Resilience Forums and contributes to the development of multi-agency plans for the response to Major Incidents (led by Category 1 responders).

Railways: Fares

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the average increase in rail fares over the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: All fares increased on average by 5% in real terms between 2010 and 2015, compared to 11.3% between 2005 to 2010.

Pedestrians: Greater London

Mr Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding his Department has allocated to improve pavements and crossings for pedestrians in London in the last two years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Transport for London is responsible for pavements and pedestrian crossings on those major roads in London (or “red routes”) which form part of the Transport for London Road Network. The Department for Transport provides both a general (resource) and an investment (capital) grant to the Greater London Authority (GLA) for Transport for London (TfL) each year. This money is not ring-fenced and it is a matter for the Mayor to determine how it is spent. The great majority of pavements and crossings in London are the responsibility of individual London boroughs, which are funded primarily by the Department for Communities and Local Government, although TfL also provide some funding to boroughs for local road improvements. The Department for Transport has not provided any additional funding to individual boroughs for this purpose in the last two years.

Roads: Accidents

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many casualties were recorded in road traffic accidents in (a) Calder Valley constituency and (b) West Yorkshire in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Andrew Jones: The number of casualties in road traffic accidents reported to the police in (a) Calder Valley constituency and (b) West Yorkshire in each year of 2010 to 2014 are:YearKilledSeriously injuredSlightly injuredTotal casualtiesCalder Valley constituency20103352963342011355292350201215626432120132402192612014453241298West Yorkshire2010588367,4568,3502011658396,8817,7852012498856,9137,8472013558095,9396,8032014588676,0136,938 Statistics for 2015 will be available in June 2016.

Cycleways: Greater London

Mr Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the total funding allocated for the construction of cycle superhighways in London.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Decisions on how much funding to allocate to cycling projects on the Transport for London Road Network (TLRN) are entirely a matter for the Mayor and Transport for London. The Department for Transport (DfT) provides the Greater London Authority with an annual transport grant for TfL, and it is up to the Mayor to determine how this grant is spent. In 2013, the Mayor published a vision for cycling which outlined plans to invest £913 million on a wide variety of schemes to improve conditions for cyclists in London, including the construction of a number of new and improved cycle superhighways.

Railways: Freight

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what consultation he plans to undertake before any rail freight sites owned by Network Rail are sold.

Claire Perry: The Department for Transport and Network Rail have undertaken early discussions with key stakeholders in the rail freight industry, including a meeting with the Rail Freight Group, regarding options for the sale of rail freight sites owned by Network Rail. The on-going process of identifying options for the sale of rail freight sites is at a very early stage. Key stakeholders will be engaged throughout the process. Network Rail is required to consult should it wish to dispose of land in which it has an interest and which may be important to the continuing operation and future development of the network. A full consultation process will be undertaken before any final decision is taken about the sale of freight sites owned by Network Rail.

Railways: Freight

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of freight capacity in freight sites owned by Network Rail.

Claire Perry: The capacity of a freight site is determined by a number of factors including the parameters of the site, the loading capabilities within the site and the capacity of the rail network connecting to the site. The department has not made any assessment of the capacity in freight sites owned by Network Rail. Network Rail does not hold all the information required to make such an assessment as this is partly held by those freight operators who manage the sites.

Govia Thameslink Railway

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has agreed the terms of the Remedial Plan with Govia Thameslink Railway since the issue of a Remedial Plan Notice in December 2015; and if he will publish that plan.

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what deadline Govia Thameslink Railway Ltd has been set to meet the terms of its Remedial Plan.

Claire Perry: The Secretary of State has accepted Govia Thameslink Railway’s Remedial Plan that sets out the steps the operator is taking to improve their performance and it will shortly be published on the Government’s website. The plan covers the period to September 2018.

Roads: North of England

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to The Northern Transport Strategy: Spring 2016 Report, published on 7 March 2016, how many road projects in (a) Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency, (b) Cheshire West and Chester borough, (c) the Cheshire and Warrington LEP area and (d) the area of the Northern Powerhouse are included in the investment programme.

Andrew Jones: Road projects across the Northern Powerhouse area, including the Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership area, are laid out in page 34 of the Northern Transport Strategy: Spring 2016 Report. Further details on road schemes are included in the Road Investment Strategy, first published in December 2014 https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/road-investment-strategy. The Spring 2016 Report also includes potential longer-term transformational opportunities (Trans-Pennine Tunnel). Transport for the North’s Partnership Board, which approved the Report, includes representation for Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership and for Cheshire West and Chester Council.

Railways: North of England

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to The Northern Transport Strategy: Spring 2016 Report, published on 7 March 2016, how many rail projects in (a) Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency, (b) Cheshire West and Chester borough, (c) the Cheshire and Warrington LEP area and (d) the area of the Northern Powerhouse are included in the investment programme.

Andrew Jones: Network Rail’s Plan for Rail in Britain is available at: http://www.networkrail.co.uk/improvements/indexpage.aspx The Northern Transport Strategy: Spring 2016 Report also includes potential longer-term transformational opportunities (Northern Powerhouse Rail). Transport for the North’s Partnership Board, which approved the Report, includes representation for Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership and for Cheshire West and Chester Council.

Transport: Ellesmere Port and Neston

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to The Northern Transport Strategy: Spring 2016 Report, published on 7 March 2016, what assessment he has made of the economic benefit of that strategy to Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency.

Andrew Jones: The Northern Transport Strategy Spring Report 2016 sets out progress in developing plans to improve transport connectivity across the North. Transport is important in delivering the Northern Powerhouse agenda. As yet there has not been a specific assessment of economic benefits to the Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency.

Transport: North of England

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to The Northern Transport Strategy: Spring 2016 Report, published on 7 March 2016, what estimate his Department has made of public sector investment per capita in (a) Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency, (b) Cheshire West and Chester borough, (c) the Cheshire and Warrington LEP area and (d) the area of the Northern Powerhouse.

Andrew Jones: Rebalancing the economy by creating a Northern Powerhouse is part of our long term economic plan, and an aim that is shared between the Government and the North. Our objective is simple – to allow the North to pool its strengths and become greater than the sum of its parts. The Northern Transport Strategy aims to support the Northern Powerhouse in achieving its ambitions. At this stage, the Strategy does not outline funding for specific geographical areas, and this is therefore reflected in the Spring Report. In 2014/15, the transport spend per head in the North West of England was £251, and the transport spend for the whole of the North of England was £262.

Cycling

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the Cycle to Work scheme on (a) levels of participation in cycling and (b) the bicycle industry.

Mr Robert Goodwill: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 14 March 2016.The correct answer should have been:

The Department has not made an assessment of the Cycle to Work scheme.The Cycle to Work Scheme is administered by the Cycle to Work Alliance. The Cycle to Work Alliance (made up of Cyclescheme, Cycle Solutions, Evans Cycles and Halfords) has published a number of research reports, based on extensive surveys of users that have focused on the sustainable transport and public health contribution of the scheme. The reports are available on their website as follows: www.cycletoworkalliance.org.uk

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department has not made an assessment of the Cycle to Work scheme.The Cycle to Work Scheme is administered by the Cycle to Work Alliance. The Cycle to Work Alliance (made up of Cyclescheme, Cycle Solutions, Evans Cycles and Halfords) has published a number of research reports, based on extensive surveys of users that have focused on the sustainable transport and public health contribution of the scheme. The reports are available on their website as follows: www.cycletoworkalliance.org.uk

Public Transport: Disability

John Mc Nally: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government plans to bring forward legislative proposals to implement the installation and use of audio-visual displays on public transport vehicles.

Andrew Jones: I refer the Hon Member to my answer of 3rd March 2016, UIN 28574,http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=AllQuestions&house=commons%2clords&uin=28574.

London, Tilbury and Southend Railway Line

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason a number of the Committed Obligations agreed between NXET Trains Limited and his Department on 15 July 2014 regarding the Essex Thameside franchise are redacted in the published version of the agreement.

Claire Perry: Where text has been omitted from the document, this is because the Director General Rail or Secretary of State has decided to exclude the text in accordance with the provisions within the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Roads: Safety

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps he has taken to improve roads to ensure that they are safe for both motorists and cyclists.

Andrew Jones: The Government fully understands how important it is to have a safe road network for all road users, which is why we are providing a record £6 billion for local highways maintenance in England (outside London).

Bingham Station

Robert Jenrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information he holds on whether Network Rail plans to release a contribution to the cost of a disabled access footbridge at Bingham railway station in Nottinghamshire.

Claire Perry: The Department for Transport does not hold information on Network Rail’s plans for funding towards the cost of an accessible footbridge at Bingham station.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects the Cross Government Working Group on Drones to finish its work; and when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Cross Government Working Group on Drones is an ongoing policy group that meets quarterly to discuss a range of cross-cutting departmental issues relating to drones. My department is working with the European Aviation Safety Agency on the development of new European rules for drones. The Civil Aviation Authority are planning to consult on these proposals in the summer, with a view to making amendments to the Air Navigation Order in 2017.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if the Cross Government Working Group on Drones will conduct a detailed examination of the security threats posed by drones as part of its work.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Cross Government Working Group is undertaking analysis of the potential use of drones for criminal and terrorist purposes, and the impacts of their negligent use near sensitive locations, such as airports. Guidance on tackling the risks of criminal drone use has been provided to constabularies across the UK.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if the Cross Government Working Group on Drones will examine the feasibility of introducing a system of registration for drones, including an element of mandatory training and evaluation for the larger classes.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I refer the Honourable member to my answer give on 4 March, UIN 29244, http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=AllQuestions&house=commons%2clords&uin=29244.

Bingham Station

Robert Jenrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to ensure disabled access on all platforms at Bingham railway station.

Claire Perry: I would like to assure the hon. Member that we are committed to improving accessibility at railway stations. However, many stations date from a time when the needs of disabled customers were simply not considered and at present only around 460 of our 2,500 stations have step free access to every platform. We have therefore continued with the Access for All programme, launched in 2006, which by 2019 will have provided step free access at more than 200 stations and has already delivered smaller scale access improvements at over 1200 stations. In 2013 we asked the industry to nominate stations for the latest tranche of Access for All funding. 278 were put forward and we selected 68 of these to add to the programme. To ensure the best possible value for money, these were chosen based on their annual footfall, weighted by the incidence of disability in the area. We also took into account the priorities of the industry and other factors such as the availability of third party funding. Around a third were also chosen to ensure a fair geographical spread across the country. Bingham was not among the 278 stations nominated.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Local Government Finance

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to introduce annual early-intervention top-ups for local authorities after the revenue support grant has been phased out.

Mr Marcus Jones: My rt. hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer (George Osborne) announced that by the end of this Parliament, local government will retain 100% of its business rates. As part of this, existing central government grants to local government, such as Revenue Support Grant, will be phased out and councils will be given new responsibilities and greater powers to shape their local areas.We have lots of work to do over the coming months to work out the details on this new system, including how to manage the risk to local authorities of changes in their local tax income. We will, therefore, be consulting widely with colleagues and with local government on this as we move towards implementation.

Housing: Construction

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 17 February 2016 to Question 26660, on housing: construction, if he will place in the Library any value for money review and impact assessment carried out on the decision made by the previous Government.

Brandon Lewis: An overview of all published evaluations of Housing Market Renewal, both pre- and post-cessation, are included in a briefing note that is already in the Library of the House, and which can be accessed online at:http://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN05953/SN05953.pdf

Business

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to encourage local authorities to (a) create a business-friendly environment and (b) expand their business rates base.

Mr Marcus Jones: The business rates retention scheme was introduced in 2013-14 to give councils greater autonomy over their finances and to incentivise them to grow their business rates base. According to local authority forecasts, 54% of authorities benefitted from growth above assumed levels in 2013-14, which has risen to 91% in 2016-17. By the end of the Parliament, local authorities will retain 100% of their business rates, further strengthening the incentive for growth. Councils will also have the power to cut the business rates multiplier to improve the business environment for enterprise and attract further businesses to their area.

Local Government: Apprentices

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to encourage local authorities to offer apprenticeships.

Mr Marcus Jones: My Department is working closely across Government and with the Local Government Association to encourage local authorities to start planning now so they can take advantage of the opportunities both the apprenticeship levy and targets offer to meet skills shortages and increase apprenticeship numbers. The Department has already jointly hosted, with BIS and the Local Government Association, two successful round table events with local authorities to support them in meeting the challenge of significantly increasing the numbers of apprenticeships in the wider public sector.

Bus Services: Concessions

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the cost to local authorities of the English National Concessionary Transport Scheme (ENCTS); and whether the central government grant to local authorities covers the cost of reimbursement of the ENCTS.

Mr Marcus Jones: In 2010-11, £223 million was paid to local authorities as a specific grant to deliver the National Concessionary Transport Scheme. In 2011-12, this funding was incorporated within the Local Government Finance Settlement, from where it has been delivered since. As the settlement distributes un-ringfenced funding to cover a number of services delivered by local authorities, it is not possible to identify the exact level of funding within the settlement specifically for national concessionary transport from the point the funding arrangement was changed.

Local Government: Living Wage

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the (a) administrative and (b) staff cost to local authorities of implementing the National Living Wage in each of the next three years.

Mr Marcus Jones: The impact on local authorities of the introduction of the National Living Wage was considered during the Spending Review as part of an overall assessment of spending pressures.

Non-domestic Rates

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will estimate the average rise in business rates in (a) Havering and (b) the UK since the reduction of Small Business Rate relief in 2015.

Mr Marcus Jones: There has been no reduction in Small Business Rate Relief in 2015. The level of Small Business Rate Relief has been doubled since 2010. We estimate that 600,000 ratepayers are benefitting with approximately 400,000 paying no rates at all. My rt hon Friemd, the Chancellor announced at the Autumn Statement that the doubling would continue in 2016-17.The doubled level of Small Business Rate Relief ensures that eligible properties with a rateable value of £6,000 or less pay no rates at all. The rate of relief decreases from 100% to 0% for eligible properties with a rateable value between £6,001 and £12,000.

Communities and Local Government: Sick Leave

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of officials of his Department took sick leave for reasons relating to stress in each of the last five years; and what proportion of total sick leave that leave was in each such year.

Brandon Lewis: These statistics relate to absences recorded as “Mental Disorders” under the World Health Organisation categories of absence, which includes non-stress related absences such as depression. The figures therefore should not be read as being fully related to stress caused absence and it should also be noted that non-work related stress absences would also be recorded here.Sickness absence due to mental health absences, in the Department were as follows:YearNumber of Officials Absent due to ‘Mental Disorders’ (Headcount)Proportion of Total Officials (Headcount)Absences due to ‘Mental Disorders’ as a Proportion of Total  Working Days Lost20111094.0%18.3%2012924.2%25.0%20131045.2%24.3%2014984.8%20.1%20151135.3%32.8%  Back in the Summer of 2014 DCLG paid for two staff to become mental health first aid Instructors so that a programme of mental health first aid could be rolled out across the Department. 32 staff have since become mental health ambassadors. The increase in the level of absences due to mental disorders in 2015 is likely to reflect more honest and open reporting of absence by staff following the work done by our Mental Health First Aiders to reduce the stigma that is sometimes felt by sufferers of poor mental health.For the 12 month period ending December 2015, the Department’s overall absence rate was 6.5 average working days lost per member of staff. This is lower than the Civil Service average of 7.4 days, the public services average of 8.4 days and private sector services average of 8.2 days (figures from the October 2015 CIPD annual absence management survey).

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Transcaucasus: Conflict, Stability and Security Fund

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which projects in (a) Georgia, (b) Armenia and (c) Azerbaijan have received funds from the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund.

Mr David Lidington: There are 34 projects worth £3,188,896 in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, funded under the Caucasus Programme of the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) in Financial Year 2015-16. These projects are listed in the attached table, broken down by country.CSSF Programme work in the region has focused on maintaining stability by supporting conditions for on-going reconciliation mechanisms. Projects are focused on peace-building initiatives, demining, strengthening civil society, security sector reform, and strategic communications.



Projects by country.
(Word Document, 20.21 KB)

Burundi: Politics and Government

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government plans to take in the event of a continued deterioration in the political and security situation in Burundi.

James Duddridge: The UK Government is extremely concerned about the situation in Burundi. We remain committed to supporting efforts to end the crisis and broker a peaceful solution as soon as possible. We have played an active role in ensuring that the international community maintains the pressure on the Government of Burundi to stop the cycle of violence and participate meaningfully in dialogue.On 17 December I visited Burundi at the end of a three day visit to the region also including stops in Uganda and Rwanda. I used the visit to highlight the deteriorating situation, condemn the violence, and urge all parties, including regional players, to take concrete steps together to find a political solution. On 22 January the UK participated in a UN Security Council Visit to Burundi which delivered a similar, united message. On 27 and 28 January I attended the African Union (AU) Summit in Addis Ababa. In my various meetings at the Summit, including with AU Chairperson Madam Zuma, AU Peace and Security Commissioner Smail Chergui and a range of other regional leaders, I stressed the importance of the AU continuing to lead the international response to the deteriorating situation. The UK has led efforts to put into place EU sanctions against four human rights offenders. Should Burundi continue to refuse to engage in dialogue and the political and security situation continue to deteriorate, we will push for further EU sanctions against those blocking progress towards peace. On 14 March the EU announced the suspension of its direct development funding to the Burundian Government.The UK is the second largest bilateral donor to the regional refugee crisis. In Tanzania, Department for International Development (DFID) is providing £14.5 million and in Rwanda £6.9 million to support refugees. DFID is also supporting the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) to strengthen humanitarian coordination in Burundi. We are also planning to enhance the British Embassy Liaison Office (BELO) in Bujumbura with a joint DFID and FCO Burundi Coordinator who will support the UK’s non-resident Ambassador to Burundi and ensure that the UK is represented on the ground.We are also working with our partners, including at the UN and AU, to ensure that the international community is ready to respond should the security situation in Burundi deteriorate rapidly. We stand ready to contribute to an international intervention, should the need arise.

Kosovo: Conflict, Stability and Security Fund

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which projects in Kosovo have received funds from the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund.

Mr David Lidington: There are 39 projects worth £4,236,948 in Kosovo, funded under the Western Balkans Programme of the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) in Financial Year 2015-16. These projects are listed in the attached table. CSSF programme activity in Kosovo has focused on promoting political, economic and security sector reform - including in the areas of rule of law, reconciliation, addressing corruption and increasing cross-border cooperation with Serbia – in order to address the causes of instability and to help support Kosovo’s Euro-Atlantic accession path.



CSSF Projects
(Word Document, 20.21 KB)

Syria: Refugees

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the threat posed to minority religious groups with refugee camps Syria within refugee camps; and what steps the Government has taken to protect such groups from persecution.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Assad’s actions have fuelled sectarian violence and his regime is ultimately responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians. The UK, as part of the International Syria Support Group, has agreed that protecting the rights of all Syrians, regardless of ethnicity or religious denomination, is fundamental. This means that Syrian minorities will be included and safeguarded as the political process progresses.We are supporting non-governmental efforts to promote dialogue between different ethnic and sectarian groups in Syria, as we seek further progress on a political settlement. The UK is working with the United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees (UNHCR) to intensify their outreach and identification activities in the region; and to encourage and invite all unregistered populations to avail themselves of UNHCR’s assistance and protection services. This includes resettlement where eligible, either by directly approaching UNHCR to register with them or by referral via a third organisation.Through the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation scheme, the UK is helping some of the most vulnerable refugees based on need. The scheme is open to all eligible persons regardless of ethnicity or religious denomination, and prioritises the most vulnerable.

Maldives: Politics and Government

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on progress of democratic reforms in the Maldives since 2008.

Mr Hugo Swire: In 2008 the Maldives ratified a new constitution which paved the way for the first free and fair, multi-party elections in its history. We welcomed this process, the elections that followed it and the ambitious reform agenda of the new government.Since 2012 there has been a steady decline in democratic space and respect for human rights in the Maldives. This includes restrictions on the right to protest, the intimidation of civil society, human rights organisations and members of the media and signs that the death penalty is to be reintroduced. Other concerns include the arbitrary detention of political figures and the decreasing independence of institutions and the judiciary. The State of Emergency declared in November 2015 temporarily suspended basic rights.We continue to work with the Maldivian Government and the international community to encourage and support political and democratic reform.

Aegean Sea: Refugees

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the remit is of the NATO operation in the Aegean Sea relating to the refugee crisis.

Mr David Lidington: I refer the Hon. Member to answers the Secretary of State for Defence, my right Hon. Friend the Member for Sevenoaks (Mr Fallon), gave to the House on 7 March (Official Record, Cols 23-37). The purpose of this NATO operation is to provide monitoring, surveillance, and reconnaissance (MSR) of the Aegean migration routes to better enable Turkish and Greek coastguards and Frontex (the EU’s border management agency) to intercept the migrant boats and disrupt the business model of illegal migration. It is worth noting that the formal mandate of NATO’s activity is neither interdiction nor search and rescue, but if UK vessels encounter migrants in distress at sea, they will be rescued in accordance with international obligations and arrangements made for them to be returned to land.

Aegean Sea: Refugees

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the compatibility with international law of NATO ships operating in the Aegean Sea returning migrants to Turkey.

Mr David Lidington: The purpose of this NATO activity is to provide monitoring, surveillance, and reconnaissance (MSR) of the Aegean migration routes to cue Turkish and Greek coastguards and Frontex (the EU’s border management agency) to intercept the migrant boats and disrupt the business model of illegal migrationIf UK vessels encounter migrants in distress at sea, they will be rescued in accordance with international obligations and arrangements made for them to be returned to land. The choice of destination will be guided by international law and consideration for the safety of the migrantsThe UK will act at all times in accordance with its obligations under domestic and international law. Turkey has agreed that rescued migrants who have travelled from Turkey can be returned to Turkey. We are co-ordinating our approach with our NATO Allies as well as with Frontex.

Honduras: Human Rights

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if his Department will take steps to protect and improve the security of women human rights defenders in Honduras to take account of the implications of the recent murder of Berta Cáceres.

Mr Hugo Swire: I am deeply concerned by the murder on 3 March of Honduran human rights and environmental activist Berta Cáceres. As one of the most prominent activists in Honduras, Berta Cáceres worked tirelessly over many years to promote the rights of indigenous communities. Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my noble Friend, the Rt Hon. the Baroness of Anelay of St John's, condemned the murder in the clearest terms on 4 March and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice. These points, and a wider call for a commitment to human rights and those who defend them, were also set out in an EU statement which the UK has strongly supported. The Honduran authorities are now taking forward an investigation into what happened. We welcome their swift action to initiate an investigation.Cáceres’ death – and the injuries sustained by Gustavo Castro Soto, a human rights defender who was also a victim in the attack – are clear evidence of the risks activists face in Honduras every day. We continue to call on the Honduran Government to take steps to improve the security situation, and we discuss our human rights concerns with them regularly – as I did during a visit to the UK by a Honduran parliamentary delegation in September 2015. Our Ambassador to Honduras regularly discusses human rights issues with the Honduran authorities. We seek to improve the situation on the ground through a range of Embassy-sponsored projects, for example with Oxfam and the Tribunal for Women against Femicide. We also maintain a close dialogue with non-government organisations and others with an interest in Honduras.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Staff

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what proportion of his Department's (a) Senior Civil Servants and (b) core policy civil servants are based in London.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: a) The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has 143 Senior Civil Servants based in London (representing 40% of the Department’s Senior Civil Servants);b) The FCO has 2491 Civil Servants based in London (representing 54% of the Department’s Civil Servants).These are headcount figures as at 31st December 2015.

Zimbabwe: Missing Persons

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the government of Zimbabwe on (a) the provision of information on Itai Dzamara and (b) the ratification of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances.

James Duddridge: Since the abduction of human rights defender Mr Itai Dzamara in March 2015, the UK has worked closely with international partners to raise awareness of his case and to put pressure on the Government of Zimbabwe to investigate it. We regularly raise Mr Dzamara’s disappearance in the course of our discussions with the Government of Zimbabwe. Following a number of statements in 2015, the EU Delegation to Zimbabwe released a further statement on 9 March, in agreement with EU Heads of Mission in Zimbabwe, marking the one year anniversary of Mr Dzamara’s disappearance and expressing its deep disappointment at the lack of progress in this case. We urge the Government of Zimbabwe to take effective steps to prevent the disappearance of human rights defenders and other activists and to investigate existing cases.The UK is not a signatory to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and therefore has not made representations to the Government of Zimbabwe to ratify it. However, there is an existing UK framework which protects human rights, prevents arbitrary arrests and holds national security organisations to account.

Syria: Peace Negotiations

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his counterparts in countries that are members of the International Syria Support Group on reported Russian violations of the ceasefire in Syria.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK has been providing regular reports on violations of the Cessation of Hostilities (CoH) to the International Syria Support Group’s Ceasefire Task Force, of which we are a member. The Ceasefire Task Force meets twice weekly to consider such reports and to discuss measures to bring all parties into compliance with their obligations under the CoH.

Syria: Peace Negotiations

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the extent of Russian support for Kurdish forces in Syria and that support's effect on the ceasefire and peace process in that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We have recently seen a number of worrying patterns of behaviour that clearly suggest coordination between Kurdish forces in the Afrin region, the Asad regime and Russia. The expansion of Kurdish forces from Afrin just before the Cessation of Hostilities, supported by Russian airstrikes, directly targeted the moderate armed opposition and further complicated the situation in northern Syria. Further actions by Kurdish forces to take ground from the moderate opposition would risk undermining the Cessation of Hostilities, and in turn political negotiations in Geneva.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Sick Leave

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many and what proportion of officials of his Department took sick leave for reasons relating to stress in each of the last five years; and what proportion of total sick leave that leave was in each such year.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The number and proportion of staff (percentage of the FCO’s workforce for the relevant year) who took stress related absence for each of the last five years (1st January 2011 to 31st December 2015) is as follows:201146 (0.79%)201243 (0.89%)201347 (0.99%)201427 (0.59%)201542 (0.97%)The proportion of stress related absence episodes against the total sick absence episodes for each of the last five years is as follows:20111.96%20122.12%20132.41%20141.51%20152.15%

Ilois: Resettlement

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what further consultation he plans to hold before a final decision is made on possible resettlement of the Chagos Islanders; whom that consultation will involve; and who will make that final decision.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the timetable is for the outcome of the consultation on the resettlement of Chagos Islanders to the British Indian Ocean Territory and on the funding for that resettlement.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans not to make a final decision on resettlement of the Chagos Islanders until after the Supreme Court judgement on the 2008 decision of the House of Lords.

James Duddridge: The public consultation on a potential resettlement of the British Indian Ocean Territory concluded on 27 October 2015, and the summary of its responses was published by the Government on 21 January 2016. The Government is now considering all the relevant material, including these responses, and the recent independent feasibility study published in February 2015. The consultation is now closed and it is for the government to now make a decision.

Companies: Ownership

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which overseas territories and crown dependencies have published registries of the beneficial ownership of the legally registered companies that are conducting business through their jurisdictions.

James Duddridge: I had productive discussions with Overseas Territories leaders in December when they agreed to hold beneficial ownership information in their respective jurisdictions via central registers or similarly effective systems. This is an important step forward. We further agreed that we should develop a timely, safe and secure information exchange process to increase our collective effectiveness for the purposes of law enforcement. The Overseas Territories have had productive technical discussions with UK officials and have expressed their willingness to work with us to stamp out criminal financing. I want to see significant progress ahead of the May Anti-Corruption Summit.The Government is also in dialogue with the Crown Dependencies on this issue.

Northern Ireland Office

Terrorism: Northern Ireland

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps her Department is taking in response to the attempted murder of a prison officer in East Belfast by a group calling itself the New IRA.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: Under this Government there will be no let-up in our efforts to ensure that terrorism never succeeds. We will always give our fullest possible backing to the brave men and women of the Northern Ireland Prison Service and the PSNI who do such an outstanding job. The Strategic Defence and Security Review published in November 2015 includes a commitment from the UK Government to maintain our investment in capabilities to keep the people of Northern Ireland safe. As part of this, the Government has allocated £160 million of additional security funding to the Police Service of Northern Ireland over the next five years in order to tackle the threat from Northern Ireland Related Terrorism.

Northern Ireland Office: Security Guards

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much security guards in her Department are paid.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: My Department does not employ any security guards. Security Guards are provided through a contract with a third party provider.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Unemployment: Young People

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what funding his Department allocated in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2015-16 to reduce the number of people who were classified as not in education, employment or training.

Nick Boles: Further education funding is demand led. We do not allocate funding to specific groups but our entitlements are aimed at supporting disadvantaged groups, including the unemployed. 168,900 benefit claimants aged 19-24 started further education training in 2013/14, compared to 132,000 in 2011/12.

Apprentices: Calder Valley

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate his Department has made of the number of new apprenticeships in Calder Valley constituency in each of the next four years.

Nick Boles: The Department does not produce estimates of future Apprenticeship starts by Parliamentary constituency.

Unemployment: Young People

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of 16 to 24 year olds not in education, employment or training.

Nick Boles: The most recent NEET Statistics Quarterly Brief estimates 11.6 per cent of 16-24 year olds were not in education, employment or training (NEET) in October – December 2015. This is a decrease of 1.5 percentage points since October – December 2014.

Engineering: EU Nationals

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many employees in the UK engineering sector are from other EU member states; and if he will estimate the total contribution of such employees to (a) GDP, (b) turnover of engineering employers and (c) GVA in the last 12 months.

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many employees in the UK engineering sector are from countries outside the EU; and if he will estimate the total contribution of such employees to (a) GDP, (b) turnover of engineering employers and (c) GVA in the last 12 months.

Anna Soubry: It is not possible to answer the questions as there is no agreed statistical definition of what is meant by the term “engineering sector”.

Education: Hearing Impairment

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what change there has been to the number of deaf people achieving further and higher education qualifications in the last five years.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Disabled Students' Allowances: Impact Assessments

Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether he plans to conduct an equality impact assessment on the effect of changes to the Disabled Students' Allowance.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Wales Office

Bank Notes: Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will meet the Chancellor of the Exchequer to discuss the possibility of issuing Welsh bank notes; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Crabb: The Bank of England has announced that future banknotes, starting with the polymer £5 note in September 2016, will include symbols that represent all four home nations. For Wales, the imagery will be taken from the Royal Coat of Arms and the Royal Badge of Wales. It was recently announced that the design for the £5 note will be revealed on 2 June 2016. The UK is rare in allowing commercial banks to issue banknotes. The 1844 Bank Charter Act prevented any other banks, apart from the ones already licensed to do so, from being authorised to issue banknotes. The North and South Wales Bank was the last Welsh commercial bank that had the ability to issue banknotes. It lost this right when it was bought by Midland Bank in 1908. The Royal Mint, based in Llantrisant, South Wales, remains responsible for manufacturing the coins of the UK.

Department for Education

Employment Schemes: Young People

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what transitional arrangements her Department has made for learners currently on the Youth Contract which is set to come to an end in March 2016.

Nick Boles: Recruitment of new participants to the Youth Contract programme for 16 and 17 year olds closed on 31 March 2015, with the programme ending on 31 March 2016. In exceptional circumstances, where young people have not achieved this outcome before the programme closes, Youth Contract providers will direct them to other re-engagement provision or to their home local authority for appropriate support. Overall responsibility for supporting and encouraging young people, including the most vulnerable, rests with local authorities.

Employment Schemes: Young People

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department offers to third-sector training providers and local authorities in reducing the number of young people not in education, employment or training.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what funding will be available for third-sector training providers to support young people who are not in education, employment or training once the Youth Contract comes to an end.

Nick Boles: Local authorities have a duty to track, support and encourage young people to participate in education and training, with a particular focus on those who are not in employment, education or training (NEET). The Department for Education supports local authorities in meeting this duty by: providing a secure portal for them to exchange data about young people’s activities; collating and publishing data about young people’s activities; sharing good practice; and publishing a NEET Scorecard to help local authorities manage their performance. Local authorities decide how they will work with and support education and training providers, the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS), and other agencies in meeting these requirements. Local authorities receive funding from central government to enable them to meet their statutory obligations including this duty, but it is up to them to determine exactly how much they spend on these activities, and whether and how much funding should be provided to VCS organisations to help with this. Reflecting its continued commitment to supporting young people NEET, the government has allocated £30 million for the Youth Engagement Fund and Fair Chance Fund Social Impact Bond (SIB) schemes, and the recent Spending Review settlement saw over £100 million for further SIBs, tackling issues such as youth unemployment, homelessness and mental health.

Unemployment: Young People

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department collects on the location of young people classified as not in education, employment or training.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department collects on the number of young people classified as not in education, employment or training (a) in total and (b) by local authority.

Nick Boles: The Department for Education and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills jointly publish a statistical first release (SFR) titled “NEET statistics quarterly brief” which has estimates of young people aged 16-24 not in education, employment or training (NEET) in England. Published figures are broken down by individual age for 16, 17 and 18 year olds and by the following age groups: 16-17, 16-18, 19-24, 18-24 and 16-24 year olds. The 19-24, 18-24 and 16-24 figures are also published by region. Figures are published each quarter based on data from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). The department publishes its definitive annual estimates of 16-18 year olds NEET every June in the SFR “Participation in education, training and employment”. These figures are more accurate than the LFS estimates because they are based on a combination of administrative data and survey data from the LFS, but are only compiled annually and are not disaggregated below national level. These two SFRs can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-neet The department also publishes management information showing the number and proportion of 16-18 year olds NEET in each local authority in England based on data collected by local authorities through their Client Caseload Information Systems (CCIS). These are published annually, showing estimates of average NEET over the November to January period each year. The coverage and methodology differs from the official national estimates for England published in the department’s SFRs, so the figures are not directly comparable. On aggregate, the local authority figures tend to be lower than those in the SFRs because they only include young people whose activity is known to their local authority and do not count young people who are taking a gap year or are in custody as NEET, and the accuracy and completeness depends on the quality of each local authority’s data collection system.NEET figures by local authority can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/neet-data-by-local-authority-2012-16-to-18-year-olds-not-in-education-employment-or-training

Social Workers: Vacancies

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children's social worker vacancies remained unfilled in (a) 2014 and (b) 2015.

Edward Timpson: Information on the number of children’s social work vacancies in English local authorities is collected annually. The most recent data, from 30 September 2015, was published by the Department for Education on 25 February 2016 and can be found on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/childrens-social-work-workforce-2015 More data is also found on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/childrens-social-work-workforce-2013-to-2014

Higher Education: Children in Care

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to increase the number of looked-after children who apply to attend university.

Edward Timpson: The Government wants all children to reach their full potential. Looked-after children have priority in admission arrangements so they have the chance to go to schools that best meet their needs. In 2014 we increased the pupil premium rate for looked-after children from £900 to £1900, and the role of Virtual School Heads (VSHs) became statutory. Local authorities have a duty under the Children Act 1989 to promote the educational achievement of children they look after wherever they are placed and VSHs are responsible for ensuring that duty is discharged. Statutory guidance makes clear that local authorities should have the same high aspirations for the children they look after as any good parent. That includes choosing schools for them that are judged by Ofsted as good or outstanding and supporting them to make maximum progress. In addition:looked-after children and care leavers are eligible for the 16-19 Bursary, worth £1200 each year, to continue in full-time education; care leavers pursuing a recognised course of higher education receive a £2000 Higher Education Bursary; and we have made it easier for care leavers to return to education up to the age of 25 by requiring local authorities to support them with a personal adviser and a pathway plan while they are on their agreed course. The Department for Education is currently working with other government departments, including the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, to explore what more can be done to support looked-after children and young people to progress in education and training and make a successful transition to adulthood.

Pupils: Work Experience

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to encourage provision of public sector work experience placements for 14 to 19 year-olds in education.

Nick Boles: We encourage all employers, including those in the public sector, to provide quality work experience opportunities, and government guidance is available. Additionally, the government works in partnership with Movement to Work to offer placements in the Civil Service and we encourage all public sector bodies to offer traineeships, which include a quality work placement, and are available for 16-24 year olds. In January, the Prime Minister gave a speech focusing on life chances during which he expressed his wish to set out a plan for using work experience more creatively. We are well aware that work experience can be a transformative opportunity, and we look forward to receiving the Lord Sainsbury-led Independent Panel Report on Technical and Professional Education which we expect will make recommendations in this area.

Schools: Radicalism

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that staff in state-funded schools receive Prevent awareness training.

Edward Timpson: It is important that staff have the training they need to equip them to identify children at risk of being drawn into terrorism and to challenge extremist ideas. Individual schools are best placed to assess their training needs in the light of their assessment of the risk. The Department’s core statutory safeguarding guidance Keeping Children Safe in Education makes clear that, as a minimum, designated safeguarding leads in schools and colleges should be trained in Prevent. This can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2. To help raise awareness of Prevent and issues around radicalisation amongst front line staff, the Home Office is continuing to roll out freely available Workshops to Raise Awareness of Prevent (WRAP). There are a number of professionals, particularly in safeguarding roles (many of whom work within local authorities and the police), who are accredited WRAP facilitators. There has been a significant increase in the number of WRAP training sessions delivered since the end of 2014. The greatest volume of WRAP training has taken place in schools with a significant increase in numbers of staff trained. Over 32,000 staff within schools were WRAP trained in 2015.

Education Funding Agency: Finance

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the budget will be for the Education Funding Agency in each of the next five years.

Nick Gibb: The Central Government Supply Estimate 2015-16 Supplementary Estimates (HC 747) was published on 10 February 2016 on GOV.UK and contains the Education Funding Agency (EFA) expenditure limits for 2015-16:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supplementary-estimates-2015-16 The most recently published business plan for the EFA sets out the latest published EFA budgets and can be found on GOV.UK at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/efa-business-plan-2013-2015 Key programme allocations for 2016-17 which EFA manage on behalf of the Department for Education were published on 17 December 2015, as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. These include the Dedicated Schools Grant, the Education Services Grant and the Pupil Premium. These can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supplementary-estimates-2015-16 All Department and Agency budgets for the remainder of this Parliament are being finalised, following the 2015 Spending Review.

Education: Standards

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government plans to take in response to the findings of the Effective Pre-School, Primary and Secondary Education project by the Institute for Education; and what steps the Government plans to take to improve access to high quality early years education.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We know from the findings of the Effective Pre-School, Primary and Secondary Education (EPPSE) study that early education has a significant impact on child outcomes, and that attending high quality pre-school provision has a positive and long term impact not only on children’s attainment progress, but also on their social-behavioural development. We have now invested in a major longitudinal Study of Early Education and Development (SEED) to update evidence from EPPSE and evaluate the effectiveness of the current early education model in England. Evidence from SEED will be used to continue to ensure that all children receive an effective, high quality early education experience that prepares them for school and allows them to fulfil their potential; that future investment is targeted correctly and policies are developed in the most effective way. We understand the importance of quality and its impact on children’s outcomes. The Common Inspection Framework recently introduced by Ofsted will give greater clarity, coherence and comparability on early years and education settings to parents and providers. The most recent Ofsted early years and childcare inspection report shows that, 85% of all providers currently on the Early Years Register were judged "good" or "outstanding" for overall effectiveness. This is a 5 percentage point increase on the previous year to 31 August 2014. And as part of our wider reforms, we will continue to work in collaboration with the early years sector to further develop our workforce strategy to improve the quality of the early years workforce. This will include a review of progression routes to identify what more can be done to ensure that good quality staff can maximise their potential and forge a successful career within the early years. We want all children, regardless of their starting point, to have access to high quality early education and childcare, as we know this is what makes the difference to outcomes. We are currently funding 15 hours a week of free childcare for all three- and four-year-olds, worth around £2,500 a year per child to parents; and funding 15 hours a week of free childcare for the 40% most disadvantaged two-year-olds, worth around £2,500 a year per child to parents. We know that the current model is extremely successful with 99% of four-year-olds and 94% of three-year-olds taking up a place. Based on survey data collected from local authorities in the autumn of 2015, it is estimated that 182,000 two-year-olds - around 72% of eligible children - have taken up a place on the two-year-old programme. From September 2017, we are introducing 15 hours of free childcare a week for the working parents of three- and four-year olds, worth around a further £2,500 a year per child – on top of the existing early education entitlement.

Department for Education: EU Grants and Loans

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2016 to Question 26338, on EU grants and loans, what assessment she has made of the effect of the £71 million European Social Fund monies on the numbers of young people not in education, employment or training or who were at risk of being so in the UK.

Mr Sam Gyimah: For the period December 2013 to July 2015 (2007-2013 European Social Fund programme extended to 2015), European Social Fund monies provided support for young people aged 14-19 who were not in education, employment or training or, who were at risk of being so. The Skills Funding Agency which administered the funds on behalf of the Education Funding Agency is currently undertaking an evaluation of the above European Social Fund programme. The evaluation will be published later this year and will provide greater detail on the impact of the provision for young people.

Department for Education: EU Grants and Loans

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2016 to Question 26338, on EU grants and loans, on what the £71 million European Social Fund monies have been spent.

Mr Sam Gyimah: For the period December 2013 to July 2015 (2007-2013 European Social Fund programme extended to 2015), European Social Fund monies were used to support young people aged 14-19 who were not in education, employment or training or, who were at risk of being so to remain in or, re-engage in education, employment and training. Providers who were contracted to deliver support to young people were required to do so through delivery of activities designed to help young people gain a greater understanding of their own abilities, learning needs and the range of opportunities available with the establishment of clear progression routes for the young people concerned. Providers were also required to deliver innovative programmes to give young people experience of success in learning and, increase their commitment and motivation to achieve. The Skills Funding Agency which administered the funds on behalf of the Education Funding Agency is currently undertaking an evaluation of the above European Social Fund programme. The evaluation will be published later this year and will provide greater detail on the activities undertaken by young people.

Department for Education: Staff

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of her Departments (a) Senior Civil Servants and (b) core policy civil servants are based in London.

Nick Gibb: As at 29 February 2016, 73% of the Department’s senior civil servants and 65% of the Department’s core policy civil servants were based in London.

Faith Schools: Admissions

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential benefits of extending the 50 per cent cap on religious selection in free schools to all state-funded schools in England.

Nick Gibb: The Government greatly values the long-standing contribution that existing church and faith schools play in our education system and have no plans to extend the 50% limit to these schools as they are already providing high quality places in their local areas.

Faith schools: Admissions

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of religious selection on the availability of school places and the number of parents who are unable to get their children into their local school.

Nick Gibb: Faith schools form an important part of our diverse education system and provide places for the children of parents who wish their children to be educated within a religious context. Local authorities (LAs) are responsible for providing sufficient school places, as set out under section 14(1) of the 1996 Education Act. LAs organise their place planning on the basis of circumstances specific to their authority. LAs that have faith schools are expected to take into account any impact on local place planning as part of their strategy to provide sufficient school places.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2016 to Question 24532, which secondary schools took part in the 2015 summer school programme.

Mr Sam Gyimah: A list of the summer school allocations for 2015-16 is available on GOV.UK at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-summer-schools-programme-2014. The list includes the names of all secondary schools who received summer school grant funding in 2015-16.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2016 to Question 24532, how much funding from the pupil premium her Department plans to make available to support schools in delivering summer school programmes in 2016.

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2016 to Question 24532, on pupils: disadvantaged, how many of the 2,171 secondary schools that chose to take part in the 2015 summer schools programme have confirmed that they will be taking part in 2016.

Mr Sam Gyimah: A decision to end the summer schools programme was made as part of the Spending Review in autumn 2015, and the ending of this specific grant in 2016/17 was included in revenue funding information published on 17 December 2015 in the Education Funding Agency bulletin to schools, colleges, local authorities and other 16 to 19 providers. A copy of this bulletin is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/efa-e-bulletin-17-december-2015-issue-112. Schools can continue to run a summer school if they wish to, and they will be able to use their pupil premium allocation to fund places for their disadvantaged pupils. Schools are held to account for the progress and attainment of their disadvantaged pupils through performance tables and Ofsted inspection. The Department does not monitor how individual schools spend the pupil premium.

Sex and Relationship Education

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether it is her policy that a school should be rated as requiring improvement by Ofsted if it does not teach sex and relationships education.

Nick Gibb: The grading of inspections is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector. Ofsted’s school inspection handbook clearly sets out how schools will be evaluated. Sex education forms part of the statutory ‘basic’ curriculum of secondary schools. When teaching sex education, it is a statutory requirement for schools (including academies through their funding agreements) to have regard to the Secretary of State’s Sex and Relationship Guidance. Sex and Relationships Education (SRE) is compulsory in all maintained secondary schools and many primary schools also teach it in an age-appropriate way. The Government also expects academies and free schools to deliver SRE as part of their provision of a broad and balanced curriculum. Any state-funded school teaching SRE must have regard to the Secretary of State’s SRE guidance (2000).

Pupils: Anorexia

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to encourage schools to provide (a) support, (b) guidance and (c) information for pupils with anorexia nervosa.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Schools should consider how to provide appropriate support to all students, based on their individual circumstances. One of the best ways is as part of a ‘whole-school’ approach, in which pastoral and behavioural support systems recognise the role that all staff have a part to play in supporting and maintaining the positive emotional wellbeing for all pupils. This can include effective teaching about mental health through the Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) curriculum and involvement of specialists in schools who can provide more specific support where needed. We have funded guidance and age-appropriate lesson plans on teaching mental health in PSHE. This includes information on eating disorders. We have funded MindEd, a free online portal which has been developed to enable all adults working with children and young people, including teachers, to learn more about specific mental health problems and how to support them. MindEd includes specific modules on eating disorders. MindEd is available at: https://www.minded.org.uk/. We also have recently revised and updated our counselling guidance which provides practical, evidence-based advice on how to ensure school based counselling services achieve the best outcomes for all students. This is available on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/counselling-in-schools However, teachers are not mental health professionals. Support and treatment for eating disorders such as anorexia can require joined up action from schools and specialists. We are contributing to a £3m joint pilot between schools and specialist mental health services, to ensure students have timely access to appropriate specialist support where needed. To increase this specialist support, the Government is providing £150m to improve specialist treatment for children and young people diagnosed with eating disorders, as part of its wider investment of an additional £1.4bn in children and young people’s mental health this Parliament. This funding is accompanied by a new standard specifically for young people with eating disorders, aiming by 2020 to get 95% seen within four weeks, or one week for urgent cases.

Pupil Premium

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for how many pupils the pupil premium has been paid in each year since its introduction; and how many pupils from which countries are eligible for the pupil premium.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Since 2011-12, schools in England have received the Pupil Premium which targets funding at pupils from the most deprived backgrounds to help them achieve their full potential. In 2011-12, the premium was allocated for each pupil known to be eligible for Free School Meals, looked after children and children of parents in the armed services. In 2012-13 coverage was expanded to include pupils known to have been eligible for Free School Meals at any point in the last six years. The per pupil amounts for each type of pupil are shown in following table in cash terms: Pupil Premium per pupil (£)2011-20122012-20132013-20142014-20152015-2016Free School Meal Pupil Primary£488£623£953£1323£1320Free School Meal Pupil Secondary£488£623£900£935£935Service Children£200£250£300£300£300Looked After Children£488£623£900£1900*£1900**Also includes children adopted from care Eligible pupils attending state funded schools in England attract the premium. Information on the country of origin of these pupils is not held centrally. Details of the eligibility of pupils and how allocations are made to schools for the current financial year can be found in the conditions of grant at this link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-2015-to-2016-allocations/pupil-premium-2015-to-2016-conditions-of-grant Details of the numbers of pupils receiving the premium in each financial year since 2011-12 can be found at the links below:2011-12: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130123124929/http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/financialmanagement/schoolsrevenuefunding/settlement2012pupilpremium/a0075963/pupil-premium-2011-122012-13: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130123124929/http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/financialmanagement/schoolsrevenuefunding/settlement2013pupilpremium/a00200465/schools-funding-settlement-2012-132013-14: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-2013-to-2014-final-allocation-tables2014-15: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-2014-to-2015-final-allocations2015-16: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-2015-to-2016-allocations

Design and Technology: English Baccalaureate

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations her Department has received from businesses on the inclusion of design technology within the EBacc qualification.

Nick Gibb: The consultation on implementing the EBacc closed on 29 January. We have received responses from a wide range of stakeholders, including businesses. The Government response, including a list of responding organisations, will be published in due course.

Literacy: Pre-school Education

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the contribution of nurseries to improving literacy rates.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The early years are a critical stage for a child’s development. Nurseries have an important role in helping to ensure that all children start school with the knowledge and skills that provide the right foundation for good future progress through school and life.All three- and four-year-olds are entitled to 15 hours a week of quality early education, free of charge, to prepare them for school and improve their life chances. This is extremely successful with 94% of three-year-olds and 99% of four-year-olds taking up the current free entitlement. From September 2017, we are introducing 15 hours of free childcare a week for the working parents of three- and four-year olds, on top of the existing early education entitlement.The latest Early Years Foundation Stage Profile data reveal that an increasing proportion of children are achieving a good level of development at age five: 66% in 2015, compared to 52% in 2013.In the specific area of literacy, 76% of children achieved at least the expected level in reading and 71% did so in writing in the academic year 2014/15.Parents also have an essential role to play in their child’s development. In September 2015, we re-launched our popular guide for parents 'What to expect, when?' to include a strengthened focus on language, communication and literacy.

Children: Day Care

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policy on extending 30 hour free childcare to three and four year olds of the findings of the Family and Childcare Trust 2016 childcare survey on the ability of nurseries to provide places for the current offer of 15 hours.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The childcare sector is healthy, vibrant and growing. More parents than ever are accessing high-quality free childcare and thanks to our plan to double the offer for working parents. We expect that trend to continue. Government statistics released in June 2015 show that the current take up rate for the 15 hours free early education entitlement is 99% for 4-year-olds and 94% for 3-year-olds. These latest figures also show 7,000 more providers are offering the universal 15 hours offer with 1.3 million children, the vast majority, taking it up. The statistics are available on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/provision-for-children-under-5-years-of-age-january-2015. We will be investing over £1 billion more a year by 2019-20 on free childcare places for 2-, 3- and 4-year-olds. This includes at least £50 million of capital funding to create additional early years places, and over £300 million a year to increase the average hourly rate paid to childcare providers. This is in addition to our commitment to capital funding to create nursery provision as part of new Free Schools, which we estimate will create up to 4,000 places.

Social Workers: Children

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children's social workers were employed by London local authorities in each year since 2010.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department takes to ensure that university training of children's social workers is maintained at a high standard.

Edward Timpson: The numbers of children’s social workers and agency social workers employed by London local authorities each year are published in the supplementary tables in the Children’s Social Work Workforce data collection. This can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-childrens-social-care-workforce The Children’s Social Work Workforce data collection was first collected in 2013, with the collection’s third release published on 25 February 2016. The Department for Education is implementing the recommendations of the Social Work Task Force, endorsed by the Social Work Reform Board (SWRB) and the 2014 Narey Review to ensure that university training of children's social workers is maintained at a high standard. Social work bursaries were established in 2003 to encourage more people with aptitude and ability to enter the social work profession. In accordance with SWRB recommendations, bursaries were capped from 2013 to help ensure universities focused training on undergraduates are able to meet expected standards for social work. In addition, the Education Support Grant is distributed to Higher Education Institutions to support the cost of essential practice placement experience for social work students. Over 2010-15 government invested over £516 million in social work bursaries and the Education Support Grant. A further £81 million is budgeted for 2015-16. Fast-track entry routes into social work are delivered in conjunction with partnering universities. In the case of Step Up, regional partnerships of local authorities commission bespoke training from universities able to deliver high-quality intensive courses for high-calibre students with at least a 2:1 first degree or a 2:2 degree with a postgraduate (level 7) qualification. The University of Bedfordshire delivers Frontline’s high-quality intensive academic programme to candidates with at least a 2:1 first degree. Both programmes take into account the standards laid out in the Chief Social Worker’s Knowledge and Skills statement The Government’s Social Work Teaching Partnership Programme is also playing a key role in our plan for system reform. The partnerships established last year – with continuation funding available from 2016-18 – have already set a new direction of travel for social work training and continuing professional development. To be eligible for funding, partnerships must have a minimum entry tariff of 300 UCAS points for undergraduate applicants. They are required to integrate into their curricula the standards laid out in the Chief Social Worker’s Knowledge and Skills statement. They also provide a greater element of practitioner teaching and practice experience for academic tutors. Further, whilst some training courses are excellent, too many do not give trainees the skills and knowledge they need. That is why, in partnership with the Secretary of State for Health, it is our intention to set up a new body that will have a relentless focus on raising the quality of social work education, training and practice. This will happen as soon as possible.

Social Workers: Children

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department provides for local authorities to share best practice on children's social work.

Edward Timpson: Supporting innovation and creating the right environment to drive excellence and radically transform the lives of children and their families are essential to delivering our vision for children’s social care between now and 2020.The Department’s £100 million Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme, established in 2013, supports 53 projects to develop, test and spread more effective ways of supporting children and families who need help from children’s social care services. The Department has invested around £7 million to evaluate the projects and these studies will provide findings for local authorities over the next year as well as making a significant contribution to establishing an evidence base for driving change.Supporting the sector to share best practice is at the heart of our What Works Centre (WWC) and Partners in Practice (PiP) initiatives. WWC will build an evidence base to show the best practice available to help social workers and other practitioners to better support children and families. PiPs represent a genuine partnership between national and local government to support long term improvement through exploring greater freedoms in the design and delivery of services; evidence about new structural models and innovations; and modelling best practice, sharing learning and supporting the wider sector.In addition, the Chief Social Worker for Children and Families provides support to the profession and offers independent expert advice to Ministers on social work reform.The Department also commissions research and evaluation studies that local authorities can draw on to inform and improve their practice. A recent example is the research review of Parents’ Capacity to Change (Ward et al 2014).All studies are published on the Department’s research pages on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education/about/research#publications

Ministry of Justice

CAFCASS

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the performance of the Cafcass in (a) domestic abuse cases and (b) other private law cases.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government has made no specific assessment of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service’s (Cafcass) performance in cases where domestic violence or abuse is alleged or admitted. However, in 2014, Ofsted inspected Cafcass as a national organisation. It judged that as a minimum all children, young people and families receive a service where the quality and effectiveness of Cafcass private law practice is ‘good’. The protective measures of a non-molestation order or occupation order available from the family court for an adult party in cases of domestic violence or abuse do not involve Cafcass. In relation to other private law cases involving children, Cafcass is most often involved in proceedings for a child arrangements order where parents are in dispute. In every case where a child arrangements order is sought, Cafcass undertakes safeguarding checks with the police and local authority. Relevant matters are communicated to the court prior to the first hearing via a safeguarding letter. In this way, Cafcass provides judges with the information they need to ensure that any decisions made are safe for the child and adult parties.

Prisoners: Self-harm

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to reduce self-harm among female prison inmates.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government is committed to reducing the incidence of self-harm in prisons. All prisons, including women’s prisons, are required to have procedures in place to identify, manage and support people who are at risk of harm to themselves. These include the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) process, which is a prisoner-centred, flexible care planning system for prisoners identified as at risk of suicide or self-harm. The ACCT process is designed to ensure that all prisoners are managed in a way that is responsive to individual needs and risks, including those related to gender.

Prison Service: Training

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that prison officers complete Prevent awareness training.

Andrew Selous: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) has a range of Prevent awareness training and briefing packages available for staff.Prevent awareness training forms part of the Prison Officer Entry Level training for new prison officers. By the end of this month, over 1800 prison officers will have completed this training in 2015-16.In addition NOMS regularly reviews the extremism based training provision available to all staff in prisoner facing roles, adapting it to meet the need of the audience and the changing threat.During 2015/2016 over 12,000 directly employed and non-directly employed staff attended such training and briefing events.

Criminal Injuries Compensation: Young People

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether juvenile victims of incestuous sexual abuse are eligible to claim criminal injury compensation; and what limitations apply to that eligibility.

Mike Penning: We deeply sympathise with anyone who has been a victim of crime. Some victims of incestuous sexual abuse may be eligible for compensation under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme which awards taxpayer-funded payments to victims who are seriously injured as a result of violent crime. From 1964 to 1979 the scheme did not allow compensation to be awarded where the offender and victim lived in the same household as members of the same family. The so called 'same roof rule' was part of the original scheme and was introduced to stop offenders benefiting from compensation paid to victims who lived with them. It was amended in 1979 so the restriction only applied to adults who remained living together after the incident. This was to protect payments to the most seriously injured victims of crime, while reducing the burden on the taxpayer. The changes to the 'same roof rule' were not applied retrospectively. This decision was consistent with the general Government approach that rule changes apply to future claimants, rather than in respect of historical claims. The Government puts the highest emphasis on the needs of victims, which is why the Ministry of Justice has given them more rights and increased funding for specialist support to help victims of such heinous crimes.

Aviation: Lasers

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prosecutions there have been under Article 222 of the Air Navigation Order 2009 in each of the last five years.

Mike Penning: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates’ court specifically for offences under article 22 of the Air Navigation Order 2009, in England and Wales, from 2010 to 2014 (the latest available) can be viewed in the table. Defendants proceeded against at magistrates' court for offence under article 222 of the Air Navigation Order 2009 , England and Wales, 2010-2014(1)(2)   StatuteOffence2010(3)2011201220132014  Air Navigation Order 2009, AA.221(a) & (b), 222 & 241(5) & Sch 13 Part BExhibiting, directing or shining a light which by its glare or liability to be mistaken for an aeronautical ground light would endanger aircraft3054372321  "-" Nil (1) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Data for 2010 includes other offences related to lasers which cannot be separately analysed.   NB - the Air Navigation Order 2009 came into force on 1 January 2010Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.  REF: PQ 30119Court proceedings data for 2015 are planned for publication in May 2016.

Prisoners' Release: Employment

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that more prisoners obtain employment on release.

Andrew Selous: Supporting offenders into meaningful employment is a vital aspect of the Government’s approach to rehabilitation. We already work with a wide range of employers in prison through One3One Solutions and engagement by Prison Governors. And we want Governors to do more so we are putting the tools to drive this change in the hands of those at the frontline who best know what works. We are keen to increase the number of employers who can provide valuable vocational work for offenders while in prison and who are able to offer them support in preparation for release and employment opportunities following their release. I regularly meet businesses across the country including at 2 successful roadshows at HMP Sudbury and HMP/YOI Drake hall. New businesses are now coming on board as a consequence. The Employers Forum for Reducing Reoffending brings together employers willing to employ offenders and we are working with the Department for Work and Pensions to increase the involvement of more businesses. The Prime Minister has announced changes to recruitment practises across the civil service to ensure that people are considered on their merits and not on their criminal conviction and we want to encourage more employers to do the same.

Prisoners: Repatriation

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to remove foreign national offenders from prisons to their home countries.

Andrew Selous: It is right that foreign criminals who break our laws are properly punished but this shouldn't be at the expense of the British taxpayer. This government has a longstanding policy to do everything possible to return foreign prisoners to their home country at the earliest opportunity. Since 2010, 29,000 foreign national offenders have been removed from the UK and the foreign national offender’s total population in our prisons is reducing, falling from 10,866 in December 2010 to 9,895 in December 2015. As announced in the Prime Minister’s speech on 8 February, my officials have been working closely with the Home Office to introduce a legal requirement for defendants appearing in court to provide their name, date of birth and nationality. This will enable earlier identification of foreign national offenders and help with the removals process.

Prison Service: Compensation

Sir Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much the Prison Service paid in compensation in the last 12 months; and what estimate he has made of the amount the service will pay in compensation in the next 12 months.

Andrew Selous: The Prison Service robustly defends all cases as far as practicable and over the last three years, has managed to successfully defend two thirds of prisoners’ claims.As announced recently, we have ordered an independent audit into concluded personal injury claims against the Prison Service. This will identify ways of cutting payouts and legal costs, so taxpayer money can be focused on protecting the public and reforming offenders. The National Offender Management Service publishes in its Annual Report and Accounts the total special payments made which includes all compensation payments paid out to prisoners, staff and third parties and all other associated costs, including any legal costs and compensation payments made under the Civil Service Injury Benefits Scheme. For financial year 2014-15, the total special payments made for all groups and costs mentioned above was £28.9m, as published in the Annual Report and Accounts. This can be found in Note 25 Losses and Special Payments on page 128 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/noms-annual-report-and-accounts-2014-2015 Payments of compensation by NOMS fluctuates throughout the year and is dependent on facts of each individual case, the legal advice received and decisions of the court. As a result, future estimations cannot be produced. The total amount of special payments paid for the 9 months up to 31 December 2015 for the financial year 2015-16 was £19.5m. This is the latest information available and will be subject to audit. As part of further measures to reduce the amount of compensation payments we pay out, the Ministry of Justice has commissioned a specialist law firm to carry out a review of recent claims so as to advise what steps can be taken to make sure that payments are justified and proportionate and that future costs are kept to a minimum in respect of pay outs and legal costs.

Family Courts: Crime

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many criminal offences were committed on family court premises in each year since 2010.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The information requested is not held centrally.

Family Courts

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which family courts have a designated safe space for victims of domestic abuse and other vulnerable individuals.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Safe areas are available for vulnerable victims and witnesses at every venue where the Family Court routinely conducts hearings.

Ministry of Justice: Security Guards

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much security guards in his Department are paid.

Mike Penning: Security guarding within the Ministry of Justice is typically undertaken by outsourced providers. Where this is the case, rates of pay are determined by their respective employers and not held by the Ministry of Justice. All employers are obligated to pay at least the National Minimum Wage and the new National Living Wage from April 2016. The Ministry of Justice directly employ security guards at the Royal Courts of Justice. The average hourly rate for guards is £13.73 with averages ranging from between £13.47 - £16.71 per hour. The rate of pay varies with grade. These rates are inclusive of ERNIC and ASLC contributions. Overtime and miscellaneous allowances are in addition to the above rates.

Offensive Weapons

Mr David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people under the age of 18 have been convicted under section 141A of the Criminal Justice Act 1998 since that Act's implementation; and what the average length of custodial sentence was received for such convictions.

Andrew Selous: No juvenile offenders have been sentenced to immediate custody under section 141A of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 in England and Wales since its implementation. Data for 2004 to 2014 is available in the Criminal Justice Statistics outcome by offence data tool available at the below link;https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2014 No juveniles were convicted before 2006. Court proceedings data for 2015 is planned for publication in May 2016.

Prime Minister

Nuclear Weapons

Paul Flynn: To ask the Prime Minister, what discussions he had with the President of the French Republic on Anglo-French co-operation on nuclear weapons during his visit to France on 3 March 2016.

Mr David Cameron: President Hollande and I discussed our shared interest in building on our strong bilateral defence co-operation, but on this occasion, did not discuss nuclear weapons issues in any detail.

UK Membership of EU: Referendums

Paul Flynn: To ask the Prime Minister, if he will issue guidance to civil servants on how to proceed in cases where departmental ministers have yet to declare a position on the referendum on the EU on their access to the upcoming departmental resources documentation relating to that referendum.

Paul Flynn: To ask the Prime Minister, if he will issue guidance on whether junior government ministers who are in favour of UK membership of the EU are to be allowed full access to documents in situations where the departmental Secretary of State is in favour of the UK leaving the EU.

Mr David Cameron: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to him on 7 March 2016, UIN 29278, and to the evidence given by the Cabinet Secretary to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee on 1 March 2016, a transcript of which can be found on the Committee’s website.

John Longworth

Mr Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Prime Minister, if he will publish all correspondence, emails and records dated between 3 and 7 March 2016 involving special advisers and civil servants concerning the conduct of the former British Chambers of Commerce Director General, John Longworth.

Mr Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Prime Minister, if he will publish all correspondence, emails and records of office and mobile telephone logs dated between 3 and 7 March 2016 involving Daniel Korski that concern the conduct of the former British Chambers of Commerce Director General, John Longworth.

Mr David Cameron: Information relating to internal communications is not normally made public.

UK Membership of EU: Referendums

Chris Bryant: To ask the Prime Minister, how many special advisers have (a) requested and (b) been granted the Prime Minister's approval for working part or full-time for a Leave campaign in the EU referendum.

Chris Bryant: To ask the Prime Minister, how many special advisers have notified the Prime Minister's Principal Secretary that they are supporting ministers who are campaigning against the Government's position on the EU referendum.

Mr David Cameron: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Leicester South (Mr Ashworth) on 29 February 2016, UIN 28380.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Arts: Yorkshire and the Humber

Naz Shah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much his Department spent on access to the arts in Yorkshire and Humber region between (a) May 2015 and February 2016 and (b) May 2010 and April 2015.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Government continues to support the fantastic range of arts in the culture in Yorkshire and the Humber through its public investment in the arts, distributed by Arts Council England, as well as investment in cultural projects and programmes including £1.5 million for the Ferens Art Gallery in Hull to support its redevelopment and £1 million to support the Yorkshire Festival which will celebrate the region’s culture this summer. The Arts Council has provided the following funding to Yorkshire during the dates specified: Funding YearTotal2015/2016: 1st April - 8 Feb 2016£46,399,085Funding YearTotal2010/2011£36,013,7602011/2012£47,661,5132012/2013£64,126,6172013/2014£46,717,5492014/2015£53,628,743

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Pay

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the average hourly earnings of (a) female, (b) male, (c) full-time and (d) part-time employees of his Department were in each of the last five years.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The information requested is already in the public domain. The Office for National Statistics publishes average salary information for each Civil Service Department by gender, and by working pattern. These figures are published as an annual salary.The Civil Service statistics can be found at:http://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/datasets/civilservicestatistics

Nuisance Calls

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to reduce nuisance telephone calls.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Government is taking forward a range of measures to tackle nuisance calls, which will increase consumer protection and choice by strengthening the Information Commissioner's Office's (ICO) ability to take enforcement action against organisations that break the law.Specific actions include consulting on making it a requirement for direct marketing callers to display calling line identification; strengthening the ICO's direct marketing guidance; and exploring extending the ICO’s powers of compulsory audit to more of the organisations that generate nuisance calls. Baroness Neville-Rolfe's speech on the subject to the Direct Marketing Authority can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/baroness-nevile-rolfe-on-data-protection-and-nuisance-calls

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Staff

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of his Department's (a) Senior Civil Servants and (b) core policy civil servants are based in London.

Mr Edward Vaizey: On 1st March 2016, 97.8% of senior civil servants and 98.7% of core policy civil servants employed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport were based in London.

BBC: Royal Charters

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which areas of the BBC Charter he will seek to reform in upcoming negotiations with the BBC Trust.

Mr Edward Vaizey: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 14 March 2016.The correct answer should have been:

The BBC Charter Review Consultation Paper, published in July 2015, set out the issues for consideration in Charter Review. The Government will set out its proposals in a White Paper in Spring.  The Government is taking forward a range of measures to tackle nuisance calls, which will increase consumer protection and choice by strengthening the Information Commissioner's Office's (ICO) ability to take enforcement action against organisations that break the law. Specific actions include consulting on making it a requirement for direct marketing callers to display calling line identification; strengthening the ICO's direct marketing guidance; and exploring extending the ICO’s powers of compulsory audit to more of the organisations that generate nuisance calls. Baroness Neville-Rolfe's speech on the subject to the Direct Marketing Authority can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/baroness-nevile-rolfe-on-data-protection-and-nuisance-calls

Mr Edward Vaizey: The BBC Charter Review Consultation Paper, published in July 2015, set out the issues for consideration in Charter Review. The Government will set out its proposals in a White Paper in Spring.  The Government is taking forward a range of measures to tackle nuisance calls, which will increase consumer protection and choice by strengthening the Information Commissioner's Office's (ICO) ability to take enforcement action against organisations that break the law. Specific actions include consulting on making it a requirement for direct marketing callers to display calling line identification; strengthening the ICO's direct marketing guidance; and exploring extending the ICO’s powers of compulsory audit to more of the organisations that generate nuisance calls. Baroness Neville-Rolfe's speech on the subject to the Direct Marketing Authority can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/baroness-nevile-rolfe-on-data-protection-and-nuisance-calls

Swimming

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people learn to swim.

David Evennett: Swimming is an important life skill and one which we are keen is available to as many people as possible. This is why the Government's new sport and physical activity strategy ‘'Sporting Future: a New Strategy for an Active Nation', (www.gov.uk/government/publications/sporting-future-a-new-strategy-for-an-active-nation) includes a commitment to ensure that every child leaves primary school able to swim. Swimming is part of the national curriculum and Government are committed to ensuring that all children are able to meet the minimum standard of capability and confidence in swimming. Sport England is developing a number of pilot projects which aim to encourage adults to take up swimming. It is also investing £20 million between 2013-17 in the Amateur Swimming Association and in other projects, such as the innovative ‘This Girl Can Swim', to get more people right across the country swimming. In addition, it has invested over £330 million to create modern, safe and attractive swimming pool facilities in England.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits: Habitual Residence Test

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of the residence test for disability living allowance and personal independence payment on people who have been granted refugee status or humanitarian protection.

Justin Tomlinson: People arriving in Great Britain - whether for the first time or if they are returning former GB residents - must meet the test of being habitually resident in order to receive Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment. They must also have been present in Great Britain for 104 weeks out of the previous 156 weeks. These benefits are non–contributory, non means–tested and paid out of general taxation and, in the absence of a means test or National Insurance contributions condition, DWP uses the past presence test to demonstrate a sufficient connection to the UK social security system. There are no special arrangements for people granted refugee status or humanitarian protection, however those people who are granted refugee status are likely to be considered habitually resident for the purposes of making a claim and they would also then meet the past presence test once they have been resident in the UK for the requisite period of time. In addition, these claimants may be entitled to other, means tested benefits.

State Retirement Pensions: Age

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of raising the state pension age on people paying into personal pension schemes.

Justin Tomlinson: No assessment has been made of the effect of raising the state pension age on people paying into personal pension schemes.

State Retirement Pensions: Age

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of raising the state pension age on income inequality between men and women of the same age.

Justin Tomlinson: The average woman reaching State Pension age last year (2015) gets a higher state pension income over her lifetime than an average woman who reached State Pension age at any point before her – despite the equalisation of State Pension age. Also, over a lifetime, the average woman who reached State Pension age last year will receive more than the average man. This is consistent with the trend going forward, with, for those reaching State Pension age between 2016 and 2060, women receiving 10 per cent more new State Pension lifetime income than men. Further information on the impacts of the new State Pension can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-state-pension-impact-on-an-individuals-pension-entitlement-longer-term-effects Women live longer than men, on average, and as a consequence spend a longer proportion of their lives above State Pension age. Without equalisation, in 2010, women would spend on average 41 per cent of their lives in retirement, compared to men at 31 per cent. Even after equalising women’s State Pension age with men’s, women will spend on average around two years more in receipt of their state pension because of their longer life expectancy. Women reaching 65 in 2018 are expected to live until 88.9 years, whilst the figure for men is 86.7 years. The new State Pension is being introduced for those who reach State Pension age from April 2016. In the first ten years after implementation over 650,000 women will benefit from the new State Pension valuation of their National Insurance record, receiving on average £8 a week more in state pension. Around 75 per cent of women (and 70 per cent of men) who reach State Pension age under the new system in the first fifteen years will have a higher value State Pension when compared to the value of the State Pension they would have received under the old system. The new system will bring forward by a decade the point at which women have equivalent State Pension outcomes to men (by the early 2040s instead of the early 2050s).  Independent analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies has shown that the rise in women’s State Pension age since 2010 has been accompanied by increases in employment rates for the women affected. For those who are unemployed, or unable to work, working age benefits are still available.

State Retirement Pensions: Age

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on raising of the state pension age.

Justin Tomlinson: I can confirm that the Secretary of State and the Chancellor of the Exchequer have recently discussed and agreed the Terms of Reference for the Independent State Pension age review. The Government’s position on future State Pension ages is to consider the independent review’s report when it is received in 2017.

Pensions: Females

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what notification was given to women affected by the Pensions Act 1995.

Justin Tomlinson: Following the Pensions Act 1995, State Pension estimates, issued to individuals on request, made the changes clear. The DWP’s State Pension estimates have been providing individuals with their most up-to-date date of reaching State Pension age since 1995. Over that period, we have encouraged anyone seeking to plan for their retirement to get a pension statement. Since April 2000, the Department has issued more than 11.5 million personalised State Pension statements to people who requested them. We continue to encourage people to request one, as part of our on-going communications.DWP also ran a pensions education campaign in 2004, which included informing people of the future equalisation of SPA. The campaign included:Advertising features in the press and women’s magazinesA ‘Women’s Pensions Pack’ containing leaflets for women about changes in State Pension age, made available through the Pensions ServiceDirect mailings targeted specifically at women highlighting that women’s SPA is changingSending State Pension forecast letters and accompanying leaflet showing the person’s SPa and explaining who is affected by the changes to women’s SPa (issued to those who requested them)Developing an interactive State Pension date/age calculator facility on the Pensions Service websiteIn addition to these efforts, all those affected by the 1995 Act changes were sent letters between April 2009 and March 2011 using the address details held by HMRC at that time.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department takes into account successful challenges to benefit sanctions retrospectively in benefit off-flow statistics.

Priti Patel: It is not necessary to retrospectively adjust the benefit off-flow statistics. The sanctions figures cover both disallowances and sanctions and neither automatically lead to an off-flow from JSA.We ask claimants who are disallowed and who wish to continue claiming to reaffirm their circumstances and those that do so remain in the claimant count. Only those not prepared to commit to actively seek and be available for work would leave the count as an off-flow.Claimants who are sanctioned retain their underlying entitlement to benefit and only flow off if they choose not to attend their job search reviews.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people who had been classified as unfit to work because of a mental health problem were issued with a benefit sanction in each year since 2010.

Priti Patel: The information requested for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) sanctions is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Please note that the medical condition recorded on the claim form does not itself confer entitlement to ESA so, for example, a decision on entitlement for a customer claiming ESA on the basis of a mental health condition is based on the claimant’s ability to carry out the range of activities related to physical and mental function, assessed by the Work Capability Assessment.

Department for Work and Pensions: Correspondence

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department has spent on sending letters in each of the last three years.

Justin Tomlinson: Holding answer received on 15 March 2016



Departmental postage costs over a 3 year period are: 2015/16 - £41.5m (this figure represents this years’ costs, forecast on to the end of the financial year) 2014/15 - £41.7m 2013/14 - £46.4m These figures are based on internal management information, therefore have not been subject to rigorous quality assurance processes used for published figures. DWP despatch in the region of 140 million items of post every year.

Universal Credit: Risk Assessment

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish the risk register for the universal credit programme.

Priti Patel: In accordance with government policy in this area, the Department does not publish risk registers for major programmes.

Social Security Benefits: EU Nationals

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to prepare for the administration of changes to migrant benefits proposed under the planned emergency brake on in-work benefits for EU citizens in employment in the UK.

Priti Patel: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 8 March 2016 to Question 29762, on universal credit, how long it took to complete the reset.

Priti Patel: The Universal Credit Programme Reset was carried out from February 2013 to May 2013. This provided sufficient levels of confidence to the Major Projects Authority on plans for delivery, affordability and value for money.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions his Department has had with (a) disability charities and other third sector groups, (b) disabled people, their families and informal carers and (c) organisations led by disabled people on his Department's planned white paper on improving support for disabled people and people with health conditions.

Justin Tomlinson: The department regularly engages with disability charities and organisations, as well as disabled people and their families and carers, at both Ministerial and official level. We proactively seek stakeholder views on current health, care and employment services to understand what works and where improvements can be made through roundtables, focus groups and face-to-face meetings. These discussions inform and provide the opportunity to test our thinking as we being to develop proposals for the forthcoming White Paper, and we will continue to engage at all levels over the coming months.

Funeral Payments: North West

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people using the Chorlton Benefit Delivery Centre applied for funeral payments in each month in 2015; how many of those applications were granted; and what the average amount awarded was in each of those months.

Justin Tomlinson: The Table below gives figures for the number of application and awards for Funeral Expense Payments for the Chorlton Benefit Delivery Centre by month for 2015. (Some individuals may have made more than one application in a month.)   MonthApplications ReceivedAwards Average AwardJan480290£1,375Feb460270£1,229Mar360270£1,323Apr390270£1,286May440300£1,380Jun440310£1,377Jul360240£1,382Aug310180£1,368Sep350220£1,344Oct340200£1,369Nov350230£1,361Dec190130£1,379Source: DWP Policy, Budget and Management Information SystemFigures for Applications Received and Awards made are rounded to the nearest 10.Average Award amounts are given to the nearest £1. The average award is calculated by dividing gross expenditure by the number of awards (including awards made on review, reconsideration or appeal).

Funeral Payments: North West

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people using the Chorlton Benefit Delivery Centre required a mandatory reconsideration of funeral payments in each month in 2015; and how many of the decisions on those reconsiderations were in the claimant's favour.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested is not available.

Ministry of Defence

British Overseas Territories: Armed Forces

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many members of the British armed forces are currently stationed in each of the UK's overseas territories.

Penny Mordaunt: There are 2,570 British Service personnel permanently based in British Overseas Territories. This figure includes those based in the Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus, Gibraltar, the South Atlantic Islands and British Indian Ocean Territory (including Diego Garcia). It excludes those deployed on operations. The breakdown of these figures is shown below. The Ministry of Defence regularly publishes the location figures for both military and civilian personnel, which can be accessed on the GOV.UK website. UK Overseas TerritoryNumber of Armed Forces Personnel StationedCyprus (SBA)2,290Gibraltar160South Atlantic Islands80British Indian Ocean Territory (including Diego Garcia)40TOTAL2,570 (Location of UK regular service and civilian personnel quarterly statistics – 1 January 2016)

British Overseas Territories: Security

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how often he reviews the level of threat to each of the UK's overseas territories.

Penny Mordaunt: The Ministry of Defence undertakes regular assessments of potential threats to each of the UK overseas territories and ensures that we retain an appropriate level of defensive capability to address any such threats. We remain vigilant and committed to the protection of our overseas territories.

Ministry of Defence: Staff

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of his Department's (a) Senior Civil Servants and (b) core policy civil servants are based in London.

Mark Lancaster: In the Ministry of Defence (MOD), 31.3% of Senior Civil Servants and those of an equivalent grade, primarily Senior Medical Specialists, are based in London.The proportion of MOD civil servants employed in policy roles is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Ministry of Defence: Written Questions

Steven Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions his Department has not provided substantive answers to written parliamentary questions on the grounds of national security since the start of the 2015-16 Session; and what proportion of such questions tabled to his Department that number represents.

Penny Mordaunt: Since the start of the 2015-16 session of Parliament to 9 March 2016, 17 written parliamentary questions (PQs) tabled to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) were not answered on the grounds of national security. This figure represents 0.7% of the total number of 2,273 PQs answered by the MOD during that period.In seven further PQs, only part of the answer was withheld on national security grounds.

Tornado Aircraft: Equipment

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Tornado collision service enquiry report, whether COSPAS-SARSAT compatible Personal Locator Beacons that operate automatically have now been provided to aircrew.

Mr Philip Dunne: Fast jet aircrew are provided with automatically operating COSPAS-SARSAT compatible Personal Locator Beacons.

Ministry of Defence: Security Guards

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much security guards in his Department are paid.

Mark Lancaster: In the Ministry of Defence the basic salary for a member of the Ministry of Defence Guard Service who performs security guarding is from £16,253 to £17,760 per annum nationally, and from £17,389 to £19,003 for those based in London.In addition, officers may receive up to 20% Regular Shift Allowance, 4% Flexible Rostering Allowance and weekend premiums up to 18%.

Saudi Arabia: Military Aid

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answers of 21 July 2015 to Question 7583 and 9 September 2014 to Question 207819, how many (a) military, (b) civilian and (c) liaison personnel are now stationed at each of those sites in Saudi Arabia; how many of each of those personnel are in locations where Saudi Arabia plans and executes military operations in Yemen; and how many (i) military, (ii) civilian and (iii) liaison personnel are in the command and control centre for Saudi airstrikes in Yemen.

Penny Mordaunt: Further to my answer of 21 July 2015 the UK currently has: 11 personnel providing mentoring and advice to the Saudi Arabian National Guard, as part of the British Military Mission to the Saudi Arabian National Guard. 19 military and 37 civilian personnel working on the Saudi Arabia National Guard Communications Project to acquire and support, modern communications capabilities for the Saudi Arabian National Guard. 72 military and 42 civilian personnel working on the Ministry of Defence Saudi Armed Forces Projects, supporting the United Kingdom's commitment to the defence of Saudi Arabia through the supply of modern military aircraft, naval vessels, weapons and associated support services to the Saudi Armed Forces. We have a small number of liaison personnel who work at the Saudi MOD and Operational Centers to provide insight into Saudi operations. They remain under UK command and control. There are no other UK military or civilian personnel working at these headquarters. British personnel in Saudi Arabia are not involved in carrying out strikes, directing or conducting operations in Yemen or selecting targets and are not involved in the Saudi targeting decision-making process

Home Office

Members: Correspondence

Mr David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall North of 8 February 2016 on behalf of a constituent concerning Workshop to Raise Awareness of Prevent training sessions in PSHE lessons.

Mr John Hayes: Holding answer received on 07 March 2016



The correspondence was passed to the Department for Education for response. They accepted the transfer on 12 February 2016.

Home Office: Motorola

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many contracts the Home Office holds with Motorola Solutions.

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the total cost to the public purse is of the Home Office contract with Airwave.

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what services are provided by Airwave to which agencies within the Home Office as part of the Home Office contract with Airwave.

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the parameters or cost of the Home Office contract with Airwave have been altered as a result of the acquisition of Airwave by Motorola Solutions.

Mike Penning: The Home Office holds three contracts with Motorola Solutions. These are:(a) The Public Safety Radio Communications Service (PSRCS) Framework Arrangement for the provision of the Airwave service to the police services of Eng-land, Scotland and Wales.(b) Contract ST03 10/641/9 for the provision of telecommunications services to the Immigration and Nationality Directorate.(c) Emergency Services Network (ESN) — Lot 2 User Services; one of the contracts that will replace the current Airwave contract.The cost to the public purse of the Home Office contract with Airwave in Financial Year 2015-16 is forecast to be £283 million comprising £230 million paid centrally by the Home Office and £53 million paid locally by police forces to Airwave. By way of comparison, under the newly procured Emergency Services Network, the policing share of costs is expected to be less than half of the current Airwave costs.Airwave Solutions Ltd provides mobile telecommunications services for emer-gency services. The Home Office Airwave contracts only relate to police forces, and immigration and nationality functions within the Home Office. The Home Office is not party to the contracts which many other organisations in the public sector have entered into with Airwave.The acquisition of Airwave by Motorola Solutions means all three Emergency Services contracts now end on 31st December 2019. This provides continuity of service for the transition to the Emergency Services Network.

UK Border Force: Patrol Craft

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of whether the diversion of Border Force Cutters to support Frontex's Operation Triton had an effect on the effectiveness of the Cutter Fleet in preventing the importation of contraband goods to the UK.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 10 March 2016



Border Force has maintained, and will continue to maintain, appropriate capability in UK waters for the period of the ongoing deployments to the Mediterranean. Whilst Border Force does not provide seizure information specific to ports of mode of activity for border security reasons, we can confirm that our maritime assets made record seizures for Class A drugs and detected a significant importation of firearms in UK waters during the calendar year 2015.

Asylum: Nigeria

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied children arrived in the UK from Nigeria in 2015.

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied children arrived in the UK from Uganda in 2015.

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied children arrived in the UK from Albania in 2015.

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied children arrived in the UK from Eritrea in 2015.

James Brokenshire: The questions have been interpreted as referring to unaccompanied asylum seeking children arriving in the UK.Figures on asylum applications for Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) are published quarterly by the Home Office in the Immigration Statistics release.The following table shows applications for asylum from Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children, excluding dependants, for nationals of Nigeria, Uganda, Albania and Eritrea during 2015.Asylum applications received from Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children, excluding dependants, from nationals of Nigeria, Uganda, Albania and Eritrea during 2015NationalityTotal applicationsNigeria14Uganda0Albania456Eritrea694Table Notes(1) These data are provisional and subject to change.(2) An Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Child (UASC) is a person under 18, or who, in the absence of documentary evidence establishing age, appears to be under that age, is applying for asylum on his or her own right and has no relative or guardian in the United Kingdom.A copy of the latest release, Immigration Statistics October to December 2015, is available from:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-october-to-december-2015

Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to address the issues raised in the Independent Investigation into conditions at Yarl's Wood in January 2016; and what additional steps she will take to address concerns around (a) staffing arrangements including capacity and training and (b) an inadequate proportion of female officers to care for women at the centre.

James Brokenshire: Serco commissioned an independent investigation by Kate Lampard into the culture and staffing at Yarl's Wood. The report was published in January 2016. Serco has responded quickly to the recommendations in the report and has agreed or completed 32 of the 35 recommendations. These include an increase in staffing levels and introducing changes to policies to ensure that all detainees are treated in a safe and dignified manner. As of 9 March 2016, 55% of Serco’s operational staff at Yarl’s Wood are women.The Government is addressing the issue of welfare in detention through its response to Stephen Shaw’s review set out in the Written Ministerial Statement laid before the House on 14 January. This includes a new adults at risk policy and a mental health action plan.

Disclosure and Barring Service: Staff

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff have been employed to process Disclosure and Barring Service checks in each year since 2010.

Karen Bradley: The average number of full-time equivalent staff employed by the Disclosure and Barring Service in each year since 2010 is listed in the table below. The DBS was created in 2012 and replaced the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA).YearAverage number of Staff2010-116672011-125422012-13 (CRB)4832012-13 (DBS)7302013-147212014-15745

Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many detainees have been held in the Kingfisher Isolation Unit in Yarl's Wood in each year since 2010.

James Brokenshire: The accommodation in Kingfisher Unit is used for individuals removed from general association in accordance with Rules 40 (removed from association) and 42 (temporary confinement) of the Detention Centre Rules 2001.Rule 40 states that an individual may be removed from association where it appears necessary in the interests of security or safety that they should not associate with other detained persons, either generally or for particular purposes.Rule 42 states that a violent or refractory individual may be confined temporarily in special accommodation, but not as a punishment, or after he/she has ceased to be refractory or violent.Management information held by the service provider, Serco, for Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre is only available for the number of instances that the accommodation was used for these purposes and cannot be provided for the numbers of individuals except at disproportionate cost.

Sailing Boats

Dame Angela Watkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what arrangements are in place to (a) record and (b) inspect small yachts arriving from Europe at marinas on the UK coastline.

James Brokenshire: Inspection of vessels by is undertaken by Border Force on a case by case basis depending on the intelligence held and the level of assessed risk.Border Force operates an intelligence led and risk assessed approach to managing the maritime border. This allows Border Force to provide effective border controls up and down the country. Border Force maintains close working relationships with law enforcement partners and related agencies who also use an intelligence-led approach in accordance with assessments of known and inferred risk.Border Force shares information on possible subjects of interest with EU law enforcement partners and continues to work very closely with them to enable real time interventions where appropriate.

Domestic Violence

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to increase the proportion of domestic abuse perpetrators who receive specialist intervention to change their behaviour.

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to improve the provision of support from specialist services for LGBT victims of domestic abuse.

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to encourage BAME victims of domestic abuse to report that abuse to the police.

Karen Bradley: The Government published a new Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy on 8 March and committed funding of £80 million between 2016 and 2020 to protect women and girls from violence. This increased funding will help to deliver our goal to work with local commissioners to deliver a secure future for rape support centres, refuges and FGM and Forced Marriage Units, whilst driving a major change across all services which promotes early intervention and prevention.The Strategy identifies that some sectors of society can experience multiple forms of discrimination and disadvantage or additional barriers to accessing support. These include women and girls from Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGB&T) victims. The increased funding of £80 million, and our support for local areas to improve local commissioning, will help to ensure that the needs for LGBT and BME victims are met through specialist support.The new Strategy also recognises that a sustainable approach to preventing abuse is dependent on changing the attitudes and behaviours of perpetrators. As part our renewed focus on early intervention and breaking the cycle of violence, the Government will work with local areas on changing the attitudes and behaviours of perpetrators, to make sure rehabilitation, mental health interventions and other appropriate perpetrator programmes are in place.In recent years there has been a step change in the number of domestic abuse crimes recorded by the police. The new Strategy sets out that we will continue to drive a culture change in the police response to recognise domestic abuse as the serious crime that it is, and encourage more victims, including BME victims of domestic abuse, to report to the police. We will also ensure that women can seek help in a range of settings as they go about their daily lives and have easy access to community based support at the earliest opportunity.

Asylum: Scotland

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to exercise her powers under section 101(3) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 only with the agreement of Ministers of the Scottish Government, as set out under section 101(7) of that Act.

James Brokenshire: Asylum seekers are housed across the UK under voluntary agreements between national government and local authorities that have been in place since 2000.The Home Office maintains an active partnership with local governments across the UK, including those in Scotland, and funds Strategic Migration Partnerships to plan for the most appropriate dispersal of asylum seekers. The partnerships consider the impact on communities and local services so that adjustments to dispersal patterns can be made where appropriate.Local authorities are consulted before asylum seekers are placed in their area, so that the potential impact on communities and local services is fully considered. We continue to work closely with a wide range of local authorities, including those in Scotland, to increase the number of areas that voluntarily accommodate and support people seeking asylum and protection – every local authority is encouraged to contribute.There are powers in the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 to designate areas of the country as “reception zones” if it is believed that a local authority covering the particular area has suitable housing that can used to accommodate destitute asylum seekers. The Home Office has not used these powers, but would consult fully with local authorities and Ministers of the Scottish Government if they were minded to use them.

Asylum: Housing

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department takes to investigate complaints about outsourced asylum accommodation centres; and whether she has received complaints on the operation in Glasgow of her Department's outsourced asylum accommodation contract with Serco and its sub-contractor Orchard and Shipman.

James Brokenshire: All accommodation providers are monitored closely to ensure accommodation meets contractual standards; this includes measures to ensure issues and complaints are quickly addressed. Failure of accommodation providers to resolve issues within strict time limits may result in the application of service credits.Asylum seekers are encouraged to report issues about their accommodation to their accommodation provider for them to resolve. The Department also provides information to all asylum seekers, including direct telephone numbers to local and national UKVI staff where they can raise issues about the condition of their accommodation. As a result of recent improvements to the Home Office inspection regime the Contract Compliance Team measures service delivery via a short questionnaire to assess the level of contact, welcome briefing and support from the provider.We are taking further steps to ensure asylum seekers’ voices are heard so that they feel confident to report complaints about their accommodation or any concerns they are having about their safety. To help achieve this, an advisory Board has been established which will enable the Home Office to discuss accommodation related issues with key NGO stakeholders, including those that pertain to issues raised regarding accommodation in Glasgow.

Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre: Vacancies

Ruth Smeeth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many of the 168 posts advertised for the National Crime Agency in 2015 were allocated to Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command.

Ruth Smeeth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many dedicated Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) police officers transferred to the National Crime Agency in 2013; and how many police officers are in the CEOP Command in 2016.

Ruth Smeeth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much of the £10 million allocated to the National Crime Agency to address child sexual exploitation is applied to investigations of historic child sexual abuse.

Ruth Smeeth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which commands in the National Crime Agency have worked on child sexual abuse cases in the last two years.

Karen Bradley: Although NCA officers can be designated with the Powers of a Constable (and other powers), NCA officers are not police officers, nor were the SOCA officers that formed the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre. When the NCA was launched on 7 October 2013, 99 posts were transferred into the NCA from the SOCA-affiliated Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre. The NCA CEOP Command currently has 129 core posts.At the WePROTECT Children Online Global Summit in December 2014, the Prime Minister announced an additional £10m would be provided in 2015/16 to create further specialist teams in the National Crime Agency to focus on the worst online child sexual exploitation and abuse offenders. This funding is enabling the National Crime Agency to target more offenders, strengthen victim identification and create additional intelligence and child protection advisor capabilities. This has included 174 additional posts (an increase on the 168 new posts envisaged when the NCA Annual Report and accounts were published last year). These 174 posts, are in addition to the NCA’s core posts and are all dedicated to tackling child sexual exploitation and abuse, within the CEOP Command and supporting functions.Specific funding for NCA investigations into non-recent child sexual abuse is provided through alternative arrangements. All of the National Crime Agency commands contribute to tackling child sexual exploitation and abuse. NCA commands work collaboratively and are supported by specialist capabilities drawn from across the Agency.

National Crime Agency

Ruth Smeeth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which police forces in England have had investigative assistance from the National Crime Agency.

Mr John Hayes: As a national law enforcement agency, the National Crime Agency (NCA) works closely with and in support of all police forces in the UK in tackling serious and organised crime. Since its inception in October 2013 the NCA has provided investigative assistance to all police forces in England across a range of law enforcement activities and capabilities.

Asylum: Calais

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has held with her French counterpart on the processing of asylum applications for people in Calais.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum applications have been processed by (a) French and (b) British authorities from individuals at the camp in Calais.

James Brokenshire: The Home Secretary has regular detailed conversations with her counterpart on the processing of asylum applications for migrants in Calais, most recently at the UK France Summit on 3 March. This discussion confirmed that no individual needs to remain in the camps in Calais and Dunkirk.The UK shares the French Government’s objective of increasing the number of individuals who take up the offer of safe and fully equipped accommodation away from Calais so that they can engage with the French immigration system, including lodging an asylum claim. The French Government has, with the support of UK funding, established more than 100 Welcome Centres elsewhere in France where migrants in Calais can find a bed, meals and information about their options.Under the UK France Joint Declaration signed on 20 August last year, the French Government is increasing the number of places in its asylum system, and is encouraging those in Calais to claim asylum. The numbers of migrants entering the French asylum system has increased significantly - over 2,800 migrants from the Calais area claimed asylum in France last year. Asylum claims lodged in France are the legal responsibility of the French authorities. British authorities do not process asylum applications made in other Member States.

Immigration Controls: France

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether border controls between the UK and France are based upon a bilateral agreement between the two countries.

James Brokenshire: There are two principal bilateral agreements between the United Kingdom and France governing border controls at sea ports and on international rail routes.These are:The ‘Treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the French Republic concerning the implementation of Frontier Controls at the Sea Ports of both Counties on the Channel and North Sea’ which was signed at Le Touquet in France on 4 February 2003; andThe ‘Protocol between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the French Republic Concerning Frontier Controls and Policing, Co-operation in Criminal Justice, Public Safety and Mutual Assistance Relating to the Channel Fixed Link’ which was signed at Sangatte on 25 November 1991.

Asylum

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people from (a) Syria, (b) Afghanistan, (c) Iraq, (d) Kosovo, (e) Albania, (f) Pakistan, (g) Eritrea, (h) Nigeria and (i) Iran have (i) applied for and (ii) been granted asylum in the UK in each of the last 12 months.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 14 March 2016



The question has been interpreted to mean asylum applications and initial decisions made in 2015. The number of applications for asylum, initial decisions and total grants in each quarter of 2015 from nationals of (a) Syria, (b) Afghanistan, (c) Iraq, (d) Kosovo, (e) Albania, (f) Pakistan, (g) Eritrea, (h) Nigeria and (i) Iran is in the table below.Asylum applications, initial decisions and grants for main applicants in each quarter of 2015, from nationals of: Afghanistan, Albania, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Kosovo, Nigeria, Pakistan and SyriaQuarterCountry of nationalityTotal applications Total initial decisions (1) Of which: total grants (2) 2015 Q1Afghanistan2834581842015 Q1Albania3624761072015 Q1Eritrea6987035432015 Q1Iran4359805862015 Q1Iraq211242822015 Q1Kosovo6902015 Q1Nigeria214330452015 Q1Pakistan5351,0192352015 Q1Syria5243852932015 Q2Afghanistan414220762015 Q2Albania354322992015 Q2Eritrea7599023032015 Q2Iran4846884082015 Q2Iraq231189412015 Q2Kosovo7402015 Q2Nigeria188180282015 Q2Pakistan483447912015 Q2Syria3847076252015 Q3Afghanistan7493791282015 Q3Albania382260502015 Q3Eritrea1,3859533732015 Q3Iran8636193092015 Q3Iraq632273482015 Q3Kosovo6702015 Q3Nigeria222203332015 Q3Pakistan746385692015 Q3Syria7906075332015 Q4Afghanistan7943951242015 Q4Albania406383902015 Q4Eritrea8876583122015 Q4Iran1,4665602282015 Q4Iraq1,111390452015 Q4Kosovo5602015 Q4Nigeria250217292015 Q4Pakistan677519942015 Q4Syria911408344Source: table as_01q, Immigration statistics October to December 2015, Home Office(1) Initial decisions do not necessarily relate to applications made in the same period and exclude the outcome of appeals or other subsequent decisions.(2) Figures for 'Total grants' include: grants of asylum, humanitarian protection, discretionary leave and other grants. 'Other grants' include: grants under family and private life rules, which relate to the introduction of a new approach to Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, from 9 July 2012; Leave Outside the Rules, which was introduced for those refused asylum from 1 April 2013; and UASC leave, which was introduced for Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children refused asylum but eligible for temporary leave from 1 April 2013.(3) These data are provisional and subject to change.  The Home Office publishes quarterly figures on asylum applications and initial decisions within the Immigration Statistics release. A copy of the latest release, Immigration Statistics October to December 2015, is available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-october-to-december-2015

Immigration Controls: Calais

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the total financial contribution made by the UK to improving security at the port of Calais in each of the last five years; if she will estimate the likely UK contribution to such security in each of the next five years; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 14 March 2016



Since 2010 the UK has spent £14.8 million to improve port security at Calais and bolster UK border security. The bulk of UK spend at Calais port has been funded through the two Joint Declarations with France – one in September 2014 the other in August 2015. which has contributed to extra fencing and infrastructure as well as improved detection technology at the port.The UK takes the security of its border seriously. We will continue to assess the level of investments required – not only in Calais, but at all other ports and airports - next year and beyond.On 20 September 2014 a Joint Declaration was signed between the UK and France and a £12 million contribution from the UK was announced to upgrade Calais port infrastructure and improve security and detection technology across juxtaposed ports – about £11 million was spent on Calais port.

Home Office: Security Guards

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much security guards in her Department are paid.

Karen Bradley: The outsourced Suppliers who provide Security Guards currently pay as a minimum the National Minimum Wage. From the 1 April 2016 suppliers will pay as a minimum the National Living Wage for over 25 year olds.

Syria: Refugees

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, who will represent the Government at the UNHCR conference on the Syrian refugee crisis on 30 March 2016.

Richard Harrington: I will represent the Government at the UNHCR conference on the Syrian refugee crisis on 30 March 2016.

Asylum

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) unaccompanied children and (b) partners of refugees who had already been granted asylum in the UK (i) applied for and (ii) were granted asylum in the UK in each of the last three years.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) unaccompanied children and (b) partners of refugees who had already been granted asylum in the UK have a pending application for asylum in the UK.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office publishes quarterly figures on asylum claims from Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) in the Immigration Statistics release. This includes information on applications received, decisions made by sex, age and country of nationality.The Home Office does not centrally record the number of people that apply for asylum who have a partner in the UK who has already been granted. This could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Asylum

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to review the policy limiting the reuniting of refugee families to children under the age of 18 and partners of refugees who have been granted asylum in the UK.

James Brokenshire: Our refugee family reunion policy allows immediate family members of a person in the UK with refugee leave or humanitarian protection status - that is a spouse or partner and children under the age of 18, who formed part of the family unit before the sponsor fled their country of origin - to reunite with them in the UK. We have no plans to widen these criteria, which are fully compliant with our international obligations and enable thousands of people each year to be reunited with their families in the UK.However, where a family reunion application fails under the Immigration Rules, the Entry Clearance Officer must also consider whether there are exceptional circumstances or compassionate reasons to justify granting a visa outside the Rules. This caters for extended family members in exceptional circumstances.We are currently reviewing our process for dealing with family reunion applications in consultation with the Ministry of Justice and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. As part of that review we are working closely with the British Red Cross. We have committed to improving our guidance to caseworkers and redesigning the application form to ensure that applicants better understand the process and what is required of them.

Passports

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answers of 23 February 2016 to Questions 27190, 27129, 27130 and 27131, what the nature and scope of the review of the Collective Passport Service is; which stakeholders and officials have been engaged on that review; when she plans to inform hon. Members about that review; when that review will be completed; and when the outcome of that review will be known.

James Brokenshire: As stated in my reply on 23 February 2016 an announcement will be made shortly.

Human Trafficking: Telephone Services

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what criteria she plans to use for determining which non-governmental organisations will collaborate with Polaris on providing helpline services for trafficking victims; and if she will make a statement.

Karen Bradley: Polaris, a US-based Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), is establishing an enhanced UK helpline in collaboration with Unseen, a UK-based NGO. Polaris chose to partner with Unseen based on criteria that it had identified and which reflect its experience of delivering a similar helpline in the US. Polaris and Unseen intend to work closely with other NGOs and law enforcement to ensure that the helpline is as effective as possible in supporting victims and bringing perpetrators to justice. The Government was not involved in the selection process.

Domestic Violence: Charities

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to develop a strategy to support BAME specialist domestic violence charities.

Karen Bradley: The Government published a new Violence Against Women and Girls strategy on 8 March committing £80 million between 2016 and 2020 to protect women and girls from violence and abuse. The strategy sets out how we will support local areas in implementing tailored services for victims who experience different forms of discrimination or additional barriers to accessing support. This includes the launch of a Service Transformation Fund from 2017 which will help to meet the needs of women and girls experiencing multiple disadvantage including victims from black and minority ethnic communities.

Immigration

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of immigration cases were designated as complex in (a) 2015, (b) 2014 and (c) 2013.

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average waiting time was for immigration cases designated as complex in (a) 2015, (b) 2014 and (c) 2013.

James Brokenshire: Following feedback from customers and partners UKV&I introduced new service standards in January 2014. As such statistical information for 2013 is not available.The table below shows the number and proportion of immigration cases designated as complex in 2014 and 2015 Complex CaseTotal Apps Received% of Complex Cases2014 (01/04/2014 - 31/12/2014)87,219412,33721%201584,435513,47516%Following feedback from customers and partners UKV&I introduced new service standards in January 2014. As such statistical information for 2013 is not available. Our records indicate the average waiting time (days) for immigration cases that are designated as complex is as follows. Average Waiting Time2014 (01/04/2014 - 31/12/2014)1222015163Overall Average147

Emergency Services: Mobile Radios

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department has had with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the tendering process for masts for the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme's Extended Areas Services project.

Mike Penning: There has been constant engagement between officials in the Home Office led Emergency Service Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP) and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport regarding the new Emergency Services Network (ESN), specifically the Programme’s Extended Areas Services (EAS) project, and DCMS’ Mobile Infrastructure Programme (MIP).

Offenders: Deportation

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people with a criminal conviction have been deported in each year since 2010.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office routinely publishes figures on the total number of foreign national offenders that have been deported. The figures can be found on the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-october-to-december-2015-data-tables

Emergency Services: Mobile Radios

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to announce new mast sites for the Emergency Service Mobile Communications Programme's Extended Areas Service project.

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions the Government has had with mobile operator EE on the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme's Extended Areas Services project.

Mike Penning: The Home Office led Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP) is in ongoing discussions with EE as the supplier of Network Services for the new Emergency Services Network (ESN).The Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme’s Extended Area Service is planning a number of new mast sites across the UK. The location of new mast sites will be announced in due course, once all the relevant permissions have been granted.

Visas: Ministers of Religion

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2016 to Question 29595, what the reasons were for refusal of the Tier 2 (Minister of Religion) Visas.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office does not hold this information in the format requested. It could only be obtained at disproportionate cost, through the interrogation of individual case records.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Fraud

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what estimate he has made of the cost of (a) fraud and (b) financial error in his Department in each of the last five years.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office keeps the risk of fraud and financial error under constant review and is subject to audit by the National Audit Office. There have been no confirmed cases of fraud or known financial errors in the Scotland Office in each of the last five years.

Foreign Investment in UK: Scotland

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent estimate he has made of the level of inward investment to Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

David Mundell: On 29 February 2016, UK Trade & Investment published the number of Foreign Direct Investment projects by UK Region for the period 2010/11 to 2014/15. These figures show that Scotland attracted 531 projects during this period. These projects led to 26,184 new jobs, which is equal to 8.6 per cent of the total job creation for the UK as a whole.

Economic Growth: Scotland

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with Ministers in the Scottish Government on the economic development of Scotland and steps to attract inward investment to Scotland.

David Mundell: I have regular discussions with Scottish Government ministers on a wide range of economic issues. At the end of February I was involved in the launch of the Exporting is GREAT road show together with Scotland’s Deputy First Minister John Swinney. Business investment from abroad in the whole of the UK, and what makes the UK the first choice for this investment, is a crucial part of the GREAT campaign. At this event we exchanged several ideas about Scotland’s economic situation during these challenging economic times, and I am committed to continuing that dialogue. On 17 March, I will be joining the First Minister at the SCDI’s Annual Forum which will focus on the future of Scotland’s economy.

Scotland Office: Pay

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many Instant Rewards of what value were given to his Department's officials in each of the last five financial years.

David Mundell: The following provides information on the number and total value of Instant Rewards given to officials in each of the last five years. YearInstant RewardsTotal Value2014-15002013-14002012-13002011-124£1152010-1114£670

Scotland Office: Staff

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what proportion of his Department's (a) Senior Civil Servants and (b) core policy civil servants are based in London.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office currently has 50% of its Senior Civil Servants and 44% of its core policy civil servants based in London.

HM Treasury

Tax Avoidance

Julie Cooper: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of raising the state pension age on levels of tax avoidance.

Mr David Gauke: Information on the impacts of State Pension age rises can be found in Annex A of the Pensions Act 2011 Impact Assessment, and in Annex B of the Pensions Act 2014 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pensions-act-2011-impact-assessmenthttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pensions-act-2014-impact-assessments-may-2014 The department has not made an assessment of the impact of raising the State Pension age on tax avoidance.

Fossil Fuels: Tax Yields

Philip Davies: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish the revenues received from all taxes on all fossil fuels for each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Damian Hinds: Fossil fuels are subject to VAT, Fuel Duty and Climate Change Levy (CCL). For VAT, the information requested is not available. HM Revenue and Customs does not collect data on VAT revenues from particular goods and services. Total fuel duty and Climate Change Levy receipts for the last five financial years are available in HMRC’s Tax and Duty Bulletins:https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/Pages/TaxAndDutybulletins.aspx These include receipts from the main rates and, from 2013-14, the carbon price support rates of CCL. As well as fossil fuels, the main rates of CCL are also levied on electricity, some of which is generated from non-fossil fuel sources. The rates and fuel types are not identified separately when CCL payments are made to HM Revenue and Customs. Therefore only figures for total CCL receipts can be provided.

UK Membership of EU

Mrs Anne Main: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish contingency plans that have been made by his Department in the event of a UK exit from the EU.

Mr David Gauke: As the Prime Minister and the Chancellor have said, the civil service is working to support the Government’s position that Britain is stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU As required by the EU Referendum Act 2015, the Government is producing clear information, ahead of the referendum, on the outcome of renegotiation, the rights and obligations in EU law, an assessment of alternatives to membership and publishing the process for leaving. The Treasury will publish a comprehensive analysis of our membership of a reformed EU and the alternatives, including the long-term economic costs and benefits of EU membership and the risks associated with an exit before 23 June.

Oil: Prices

Craig Whittaker: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the potential savings for Government departments due to the falling price of oil over the course of this Parliament.

Damian Hinds: No such estimate has been made.

Sanitary Protection: VAT

Paula Sherriff: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress he has made to date on negotiating with the European institutions for permission to apply a zero-rate of VAT on women's sanitary products.

Mr David Gauke: I have written to the European Commission and other Member States setting out our strong view that Member States should have full discretion over what rate of VAT they can apply to these products, and that this should be considered in the context of the Commission’s Action Plan on VAT.

Tobacco: Taxation

Ian Paisley: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of when the tax optimisation for cigarettes will be reached.

Ian Paisley: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment the Government has made of the potential effect of future tobacco excise increases on the black market in tobacco products.

Damian Hinds: The government believes that cigarette duty achieves a balance between its two fiscal goals on tobacco; to raise revenue and to protect public health. In considering fiscal impacts of duties, the illicit trade is an important consideration. The government is committed to tackling illicit tobacco, which undermines health and tax policy objectives and harms legitimate business. HMRC and Border Force have an established and effective strategy for tackling tobacco fraud which has seen the illicit market reduce significantly since the strategy was first launched in 2000. This has meant that, since the introduction of the tobacco duty escalator, the size of the illicit market has continued to fall.

VAT: EU Action

Sarah Champion: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he expects the European Commission to publish the VAT Action Plan; and what plans he has to respond to that plan.

Mr David Gauke: The Action Plan is due to be published by the Commission shortly. It will be subject to the normal parliamentary scrutiny process.

EU Budget: Contributions

Mr David Nuttall: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the (a) Government's net contribution to EU institutions and (b) UK's current account balance with those institutions in 2014; and what estimate the European Commission has made of that contribution and that account balance.

Mr David Gauke: Both Government and European Commission outturn figures for the UK’s net contribution to the EU Budget in 2014 can be found in European Union Finances 2015 (Cm 9167), Tables 3A and 3C respectively. Since outturn figures are available there is no estimate. The difference between the two figuresis primarily due to the fact that Government figures include only receipts administered by UK Government Departments. The European Commission figures include both these receipts and also those which are paid directly to UK private sector beneficiaries such as universities and small and medium sized enterprises.

Multinational Companies: Taxation

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential costs and benefits of making available to the public country-by-country taxation reports submitted to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) by multinational companies; and whether HMRC plans to make those reports available to taxation authorities in other countries.

Mr David Gauke: The UK supports efforts to improve tax transparency. We initiated the international work on country-by-country (CbC) reporting to tax authorities during our G8 Presidency in 2013, calling on the OECD to develop a template for this as part of the BEPS project. The UK was also the first to commit to implementing the OECD model with legislation in Finance Act 2015. We signed the OECD agreement to share the CbC reports with other tax authorities in January 2016 and issued our final CbC reporting regulations on 26 February 2016. HMRC is committed to sharing the information reported by MNEs with other relevant tax jurisdictions to assist in assessing international tax avoidance risks. The Government believes that there is scope for greater transparency by pressing the case for public CbC reporting on a multilateral basis. As the Chancellor has said, this is something that the UK will seek to promote internationally. The European Commission is preparing an impact assessment of public CbC reporting. We look forward to seeing the outcome of this analysis, which we expect to be published early next month, and will consider any proposal put forward by the Commission in due course.

Credit Reference Agencies

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the activities of credit reference agencies benefit consumers.

Mr David Gauke: Credit Reference Agencies (CRAs) are a key part of the consumer credit market and enable lenders to assess whether an individual has the ability to repay any credit that is offered. Consumer credit regulation transferred from the Office of Fair Trading to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on 1 April 2014. As part of this transfer, the Government decided that, given their central role in helping to inform responsible lending decisions, CRAs should be regulated by the FCA. The Government has ensured that the FCA has robust powers to protect consumers and it has a broad enforcement toolkit to punish breaches of its rules; there is no limit on the fines it can levy. In addition to being regulated by the FCA the Information Commissioner’s Office, an independent UK supervisory authority, oversees CRAs’ compliance with both the Data Protection Act 1998 and Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Housing: Insulation

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2016 to Question 26458, how much the Government invested in home insulation in the last Parliament.

Andrea Leadsom: Government policies focused on delivering home insulation supported investment of around £7.4bn on energy efficiency measures1 over the last parliament (including some spend prior to 2010). This included spending of £2.9bn on the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and Green Deal2, £3.8bn on the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT), and £0.7bn on the Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP)3,4. The Green Deal comprised a number of different delivery mechanisms including: Green Deal Finance Plans, where the costs of measures are paid back through energy bills over a period of time; the Cashback scheme and Home Improvement Fund, which provided incentives to consumers to install measures; and Green Deal Communities, which provided additional funding for local authority energy efficiency schemes. These were funded through exchequer spending. ECO, CERT and CESP were obligations on energy suppliers (and generators in CESP), which provided energy efficiency measures to domestic households. While not direct Government investment, these were funded by obligated energy companies in order to achieve their statutory targets.  1 Supporting costs by measure type are not available, so it is not possible to provide spend on insulation measures specifically. 2 Source: Green Deal and ECO stats https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/household-energy-efficiency-national-statistics-headline-release-february-2016 3 Please note that as CERT ran from April 2008 – December 2012, and CESP from Sept 2009 – December 2012, these include some spend prior to 2010. 4 Source CERT Evaluation https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-the-carbon-emissions-reduction-target-and-community-energy-saving-programme (figures adjusted for inflation)

Green Deal Scheme

Ben Howlett: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether she plans to discuss progress on the Bonfield review with (a) the Bath and North East Somerset Energy at Home scheme and (b) other organisations which have participated in the Green Deal Communities Programme.

Andrea Leadsom: DECC and DCLG have commissioned Dr Peter Bonfield to undertake an Independent Review into Consumer Advice, Protection, Enforcement and Standards. In taking forward the Review, Dr Bonfield has invited a wide number of stakeholders, including Local Authorities and other local organisations to feed into the development of the recommendations. I would encourage all interested parties who have not yet done so to take this opportunity, as the recommendations begin to be finalised.

Department for Energy and Climate Change: Staff

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what proportion of her Department's (a) Senior Civil Servants and (b) core policy civil servants are based in London.

Andrea Leadsom: a) 99% of DECC’s Senior Civil Servants are based in London.b) 99% of DECC’s core policy civil servants are based in London.

Sizewell C Power Station

Dr   Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the timeline is for construction of the proposed Sizewell C nuclear plant.

Dr   Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether the building of the proposed Sizewell C nuclear plant is contingent on future decisions on the Hinkley Point C plant.

Andrea Leadsom: No application for development consent to build a new nuclear power station at Sizewell has yet been made. EDF have completed the first stage of local public consultation which is necessary before an application for development consent can be made, and have said they will make available more information on the next consultation stage once they have made a final investment decision on Hinkley.

Nuclear Power

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to the Annex on a Comprehensive Franco-British Partnership on Civil Nuclear Energy, Franco-British Summit, dated 3 March 2016, if she will set out the evidential basis for the statement that civil nuclear energy helps to guarantee the UK's long-term energy independence and contributes to economic growth and the competitiveness of industries.

Andrea Leadsom: New nuclear power is a vital part of our work to build a secure, affordable and clean energy system to keep the lights on in the decades ahead. Nuclear is the only proven low-carbon technology that can be deployed on a large scale in the UK and provides continuous supply. Building Hinkley Point C would have significant economic benefits compared to the most likely low-carbon technologies that could replace it, such as offshore wind or carbon capture & storage. EDF expect more than 60% of the £18bn value of construction work to go to UK based businesses, with future developers also seeking to at least match this.

Carbon Emissions

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will assess the progress all Government Departments are making on meeting the Government's carbon reduction targets and what steps the Government is taking to meet the target set in (a) the fourth carbon budget period 2023 to 2027 and (b) the fifth carbon budget period 2028 to 2032.

Andrea Leadsom: Each year the Government sets out its progress to meeting carbon reduction targets in response to the annual progress report from the Committee on Climate Change. The latest response was published in October 2015: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/committee-on-climate-changes-2015-progress-report-government-response. The Government has made good progress to date and is on track to meet the second and third carbon budgets. Indeed, UK has reduced emissions by around 30% since 1990 and last year we cut emissions by 8% against a backdrop of a growing economy. Options to meet the fourth carbon budget will be developed in this Parliament. We will say more on our approach to reducing emissions in the 2020s after we set the fifth carbon budget in June, in accordance with the Climate Change Act.

Department for Energy and Climate Change: Security Guards

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how much security guards in her Department are paid.

Andrea Leadsom: The hourly rate of pay for security guards working in the Department of Energy and Climate Change is between £7.85 and £9.64 depending on location.From 1 April 2016, the rate of pay will be increased to the 2016 Living Wage Foundation rates.

Tidal Power

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of the 9 March 2016 to Question 29687, what the timetable is for the completion of the independent review on the case for tidal lagoons.

Andrea Leadsom: We aim to commence the independent review to assess the case for tidal lagoons in the spring. It is anticipated that the review will be concluded by the autumn.

Department of Energy and Climate Change: Cleaning Services

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2016 to Question 28603, how many cleaners working in her Department are paid at the rate of (a) £7.85 and (b) £9.15.

Andrea Leadsom: The number of cleaners in the Department paid at an hourly rate of a) £7.85 is five and b) £9.15 is fourteen. From 1 April 2016, the rate of pay will be increased to the 2016 Living Wage Foundation rates.

Cabinet Office

Government Departments: Advertising

Mr Gavin Shuker: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many billboard and poster sites have been procured for each campaign advertising Government policy since May 2015.

Matthew Hancock: All Government advertising is procured via our media buying agency, Carat. Their database shows that since May 2015, a total of 227,558 Out of Home advertising sites (which includes billboards/posters) have been purchased by central Government and the wider public sector.The overall cost of Government communications last year was £330 million less than in 2009/10. Over the course of the last Parliament spending was reduced by a total of £1 billion, according to the latest audited figures. Detail on purchase of sites by each campaign could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Ombudsman

Richard Fuller: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to introduce a Bill for the reform and modernisation of the public service ombudsman sector as provided for in the 2015 Queen's Speech.

Matthew Hancock: The Government is committed to the reform and modernisation of the public service ombudsman sector and it remains our intention to introduce draft legislation as soon as reasonably possible.

Cabinet Office and Treasury: Pay

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, who is responsible for authorising pay rises of more than one per cent in (a) his Department and (b) HM Treasury; and what procedure is followed when it is proposed to grant a pay rise of more than one per cent to an adviser.

Matthew Hancock: Holding answer received on 14 March 2016



Salaries for special advisers appointed after the election have been set to reflect an individual’s role and responsibilities. As with other public servants, any future increases in special adviser salaries will be subject to the annual 1% cap for four years from 2016-17.

Cabinet Office: Security Guards

Catherine West: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much security guards in his Department are paid.

Matthew Hancock: The basic pay range for directly employed London security guards is £19,988 - £24,430 per annum.The basic rates of pay for security guards employed by our Facilities Management contractors around the country range from £7.60 per hour to £10.86 per hour, depending on the contract.The pay of contracted security guards is above the National Living Wage that is due to be introduced in April.

Government Departments: Procurement

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing requirements on responsible tax behaviour into government procurement policy.

Matthew Hancock: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Cabinet Office: Sick Leave

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of officials of his Department took sick leave for reasons relating to stress in each of the last five years; and what proportion of total sick leave that leave was in each such year.

Matthew Hancock: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Epilepsy: Children

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many deaths of children aged under 18 resulting directly from epilepsy have been recorded in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many deaths resulting directly from epilepsy have been recorded in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - Deaths from Epilepsy
(PDF Document, 95.81 KB)

EU Nationals: Childbirth

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many nationals of other EU member states have given birth in the UK in each of the last 10 years.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - EU Member States Birth
(PDF Document, 175.52 KB)

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Dairy Products: Imports

Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what value of dairy produce was imported from each country of origin in each of the last five years.

George Eustice: The HMRC data has been provided on a ‘country of despatch’ basis, rather than the requested ‘country of origin’ basis, as ‘country of despatch’ trade data is considered a more accurate representation of actual levels of trade. The table below shows the value of dairy produce imported into the UK, for the last five years, according to HMRC trade statistics: £/millionCountry2011201220132014*2015Irish Republic689.1662.6767.3702.6594.1France484.2510.0559.5568.4392.0Germany286.3283.5336.5345.1241.4Netherlands169.2237.2277.2252.1187.3Belgium216.3209.5239.4196.0142.0Italy174.1162.4168.5174.5111.9Denmark214.1195.1153.1160.070.7Greece44.844.953.760.770.2Poland28.431.942.043.441.2Spain31.836.844.339.631.9Cyprus16.317.220.426.622.2Others96.895.9102.6134.791.9Grand Total2,451.42,487.02,764.42,703.61,996.9 Source: HM Revenue and Customs. Data prepared by the Food & Trade Statistics team, Great British Food Unit, Defra.*2015 data are subject to amendments. Totals may not add up to the sum of their components due to rounding.

Environment Agency: Pay

Sir Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the salaries were of the five highest-paid people at the Environment Agency in the last financial year.

Rory Stewart: The salaries of the five highest paid people at the Environment Agency in the last financial year, 2014 to 2015, were published in our annual report and accounts and can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/442886/LIT_10133.pdf

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Staff

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of her Department's (a) Senior Civil Servants and (b) core policy civil servants are based in London.

George Eustice: As of February 2016, 89% of Defra Senior Civil Servants and 82% of core Defra policy civil servants are based in London.

Motor Vehicles: Sales

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many people have been charged under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 for selling private vehicles on public roads; and how many such cases were successfully appealed.

Rory Stewart: The most recent published statistics on fixed penalty notices issued by Local Authorities for nuisance parking cover 2006 to 2009 and are available at: https://data.gov.uk/dataset/fixed-penalty-notice-nuisance-parking According to this data:  2006/072007/082008/09Number of Fixed Penalties Issued165774150 The data does not specify how many cases were successfully appealed. The data includes the number of fixed penalty notices which were: cancelled;taken to court following non-payment; andnot paid and on which no further action was taken.  “Nuisance parking” includes the two offences of (i) exposing or advertising for sale as part of a business two or more vehicles parked on a road; and (ii) repairing a vehicle parked on the road, either as part of business or in a way that gives reasonable cause for annoyance to people nearby.

Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with her (a) ministerial colleagues and (b) the European Commission on the potential effects of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership on (i) animal welfare standards, (ii) environmental protection and (iii) food standards.

George Eustice: The Secretary of State has regular discussions on a range of trade matters with Ministerial colleagues.BIS Ministers lead UK engagement on TTIP supported by Defra on issues including animal welfare standards, environmental protection and food standards. The Food Standards Agency considers issues around food safety. These subjects were considered during Cabinet agreement of the UK's priorities for TTIP. I have held discussions about TTIP with the European Commission and other Member States at Council meetings.Ministerial colleagues and I addressed environmental protection issues in detail in the Government’s written evidence to the recent House of Common’s Environmental Audit Committee’s inquiry into TTIP.

Anaerobic Digestion

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of crop fed anaerobic digestion on food production and land rents.

George Eustice: Defra has procured research to assess the impact of crops grown for anaerobic digestion on land rental prices in England. Although concerns have been expressed by stakeholders over potential impacts on land rental prices, statistical analysis of available data did not detect significant price impacts. The development of the anaerobic digestion industry in the UK is still at a relatively early stage, so it may be that it is too early to detect impacts at present. The relevant report can be found at:http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Default.aspx?Menu=Menu&Module=More&Location=None&Completed=2&ProjectID=19655

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Waste

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reasons waste reduction, improved resource efficiency and increasing recycling rates were not included in her Department's Single Department Plan: 2015 to 2020, published on 19 January 2016.

Rory Stewart: Waste and resource management are important priorities for the Government. That is why reducing waste is one of the key aims in our departmental strategy that was published last month. Furthermore, our 25 Year Environment Plan will consider waste and resource management alongside other issues.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Sick Leave

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of officials of her Department took sick leave for reasons relating to stress in each of the last five years; and what proportion of total sick leave that leave was in each such year.

George Eustice: The table below provides details of the number and proportion of officials that took sick leave relating to Mental Health Disorders in the core-Department as at 31st December in each of the last five years.  Number of StaffProportion of All Core Defra Staff31-Dec-11692.9%31-Dec-12703.3%31-Dec-13763.5%31-Dec-14522.5%31-Dec-15703.6% We are unable to disaggregate stress from the category mental disorders. This category includes personality and behavioural disorders and lists 24 descriptors of which stress is one.

Recycling: EU Action

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations were made by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment and Rural Affairs at the EU Environment Council on 4 March 2016 on the EU action plan for the circular economy.

Rory Stewart: The Council debated the EU Action Plan for the Circular Economy. The UK highlighted work that had been done domestically, expressed support for elements of the Action Plan such as industrial symbiosis, and expressed overarching concerns for the proposed waste targets, stressing the need to pay close attention to the costs and benefits. These concerns were shared by Ireland, Lithuania and Portugal. Most Member States also sought reassurance that a joined up approach was being taken by the Commission. The Presidency stated that they will aim for a set of Council Conclusions on the Action Plan to be agreed at June Environment Council.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Public Expenditure

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish her Department's Spending Review Settlement letter from HM Treasury.

George Eustice: The Spending Review settlement for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was presented to the House on 25 November 2015, as part of the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015. Further details of Defra’s spending priorities for 2015-2020 are set out in its Single Departmental Plan published on 19 February 2016.

Environment Agency: Allowances

Sir Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what expenses were claimed by the five most senior people at the Environment Agency during the last financial year.

George Eustice: The expenses claimed by the five most senior people at the Environment Agency in the last financial year can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/environment-agency-executive-directors-and-board-members-expenses

Department of Health

Food: Inspections

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many food safety officers were employed by local authorities in each year from 2012 to 2015.

Jane Ellison: Data collected by the Food Standards Agency on the number of full time equivalent professional staff employed by local authorities in the United Kingdom for food hygiene (microbiological quality and contamination of food by micro-organisms or foreign matter) and food standards (composition, chemical contamination, adulteration and labelling of food) regulatory activities are shown in the table.  2012/132013/142014/15EnglandFood hygiene1,374.81,359.61,345.9Food standards444.7347.2300.7Northern Ireland*Food hygiene77.572.169.6Food standards60.447.047.6WalesFood hygiene160.1166.7152.2Food standards54.848.643.8ScotlandFood hygiene222.7229.0228.3Food standards136.1127.0114.8UKFood hygiene1,835.11,827.41,796.0Food standards695.9569.8506.9* 2014/15 data reported for nine months

Hospitals: Parking

Ben Howlett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many hospitals have revised their policy on car parking since the issue of his Department's updated guidance in October 2015.

Alistair Burt: The information requested is not collected centrally by the Department.

Care Homes: West Yorkshire

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) registered care home and (b) nursing home places there were in (i) Calderdale and (ii) West Yorkshire in the current year and each of the last five years.

Alistair Burt: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England. The CQC has provided the following information. Table 1: Number of care home beds* at the end of the previous five fiscal years and as at 8 March 2016 in Calderdale Local Authority.  Number of Care Home BedsTotal Number of Care Home BedsDateNursing HomeResidential Home31 March 20117887941,58231 March 20128498731,72231 March 20138458281,67331 March 20148457961,64131 March 20158458051,65008 March 20168207971,617 Table 2: Number of care home beds* at the end of the previous five fiscal years and as at 8 March 2016 in West Yorkshire County (defined as the following local authorities: Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield).   Number of Care Home BedsTotal Number of Care Home BedsDateNursing HomeResidential Home31 March 20118,6487,64016,28831 March 20129,0619,39018,45131 March 20138,9999,29818,29731 March 20149,1529,06018,21231 March 20159,1139,03818,15108 March 20168,9639,20318,166 *Number of beds is as at date of data extraction or date of deactivation if care home inactive at date of data extraction. Source: For data relating to the 2015-2016 fiscal year: CQC database at 8 March 2016For data relating to previous fiscal years: CQC database as at 7 April 2015  Note: Under the Health and Social Care Act a single care home can have both service types of care home service with nursing and care home service without nursing. In this case, it is classified here as a nursing home.

Blood: Contamination

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations he has received from patient groups on the contaminated blood compensation consultation.

Jane Ellison: The respondents to the contaminated blood compensation consultation are not required to identify their association with any group. The Government response to the consultation will set out the number of respondents from specific patient groups, where that information has been provided.

Tuberous Sclerosis: Children

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what support his Department gives to children with tuberous sclerosis complex.

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to ensure that access to Everolimus for children with tuberous sclerosis complex-related kidney tumours is included in the NHS England draft commissioning policy on that drug.

George Freeman: The commissioning of most health services for children is the responsibility of local clinical commissioning groups. NHS England has the role of commissioning the specialised services which patients with tuberous sclerosis access. In addition clinical policies are developed for new treatments that potentially change the impact of the disease. NHS England has approved, as an in year service development, the routine commissioning of Everolimus for angiomyolipomas associated with tuberous sclerosis. The policy statement will be published in the next few days which will define the clinical criteria for which access is supported. A full clinical policy for the use of Everolimus for subependymal giant cell astrocytoma is currently out for public consultation. This policy proposition will be considered for investment in the annual prioritisation round in June 2016.

Smoking

Mr Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the reductions in the number of people who use Stop Smoking Services in the last five years.

Jane Ellison: Although no formal assessment has been made of the reduction in the number of people accessing Local Stop Smoking Services in the last five years, Public Health England has been working with local areas, practitioners and experts in the field to better understand the reasons for the reduction in the number of people accessing services and consider how best to continue to help people stop smoking.

Tobacco: EU Law

Mr Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to undertake consumer information campaigns in preparation for the introduction of the EU Tobacco Products Directive.

Jane Ellison: The Department has no plans to undertake consumer facing information campaigns in preparation for the introduction of the revised Tobacco Products Directive’s (TPD) requirements. The TPD introduces a number of new product, labelling and reporting requirements for businesses supplying tobacco products, herbal products and e-cigarettes. The Department has and will continue to engage with businesses to make them aware of the new requirement and has recently held training sessions on the new legislation for enforcement officers. The Department will work alongside enforcement officers to build compliance over the transition period set out in the Regulations.

Mental Health Services: Children

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many children's mental health beds there are (a) in each local authority or clinical commissioning group region and (b) per head of population in each such region.

Alistair Burt: The data of how many children's mental health beds in each clinical commissioning group by region and per head of population in each such region, is contained in the below table:  Commissioned BedsNumber of Children 0-19Commissioned Beds per 1,000 ChildrenLondon2422,198,4880.11East Midlands1371,146,5550.12East of England1871,461,8450.13West Midlands1751,434,3300.12North East98703,5140.14North West1961,641,7670.12Yorkshire and Humber901,328,9610.07South Central1521,154,3560.13South East Coast941,080,0800.09South West541,069,1260.05Totals1,42513,219,0220.11 Notes:These figures only relate to where the service capacity is geographically located.There is no account taken of how the referrals flow in terms of cross boundary activity – some of which is planned for to reflect transport networks and some of which would be unplanned out of area activity.

Health Services: Social Enterprises

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the role of social enterprises in delivering high-quality healthcare services.

Ben Gummer: It is a statutory obligation that decisions on healthcare provision should be taken independently by local commissioners. Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) must decide how to use their resources in a way which is evidence based, clinically-led and cost-effective in order to provide high-quality healthcare for people in their area. CCGs must also balance both short-term need and long-term transformation in line with the NHS Five Year Forward View’s (5YFV) objectives. However, the Government firmly believes that providers from all sectors, including social enterprises, play an important role in providing high quality, safe and efficient care to patients, as well as helping to realise the ambitions set out in the NHS 5YFV. That is why, working in partnership with Public Health England, NHS England and representatives from the voluntary sector, the Department is in the final stages of a review looking at partnerships and investment in the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector. The final report of the review is expected to be published in the spring.

General Practitioners: Working Hours

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with NHS England on the agreement of a long-term arrangement to control the cost of medical indemnity cover for out-of-hours GPs.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to encourage GPs to undertake out-of-hours shifts in primary care.

Alistair Burt: The Department and NHS England are committed to addressing the issue of increasing medical indemnity costs for general practitioners (GPs), including those working out of hours. Increasing costs of indemnity cover associated with out of hours work may discourage GPs from undertaking out-of-hours shifts in primary care. The Department was represented at a roundtable event held by NHS England on 17 November 2015 to develop a shared understanding of how to address rising medical indemnity costs. A range of stakeholders, including the British Medical Association and Medical Defence Organisations (MDOs), also attended. On 9 December 2015, NHS England announced a winter indemnity scheme to offset the additional indemnity premium for GPs who wish to work additional sessions for their out-of-hours providers. In addition they have negotiated changes to the products offered by MDOs to bring down costs of indemnity for extended access. Discussions are ongoing between the Department and NHS England on a long-term solution.

Health Services

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how his Department plans to increase the understanding and use of social value in the design of healthcare services.

Alistair Burt: The Department is reviewing its work with the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector and will consider how to enhance the understanding and use of the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 as part of this work. The Department also intends to develop guidance for procurers and non-procurers on how to make best use of the Act. In addition, the Sustainable Development Unit, funded by NHS England and Public Health England, has established a programme of work on social value which includes providing guidance to commissioners and embedding social value in the Sustainability and Transformation Planning process underway across the health and care system.

General Practitioners

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the (a) cost to GPs of and (b) average time taken per week by GPs for administration of the new Capita patient note transfer system.

Alistair Burt: Capita are improving the process for moving medical records between general practitioner (GP) practices. The changes will ensure that records can be fully tracked and traced through the movement process, to both increase the security of the record in transit and reduce the frustration for GP practices of waiting for records to arrive and not knowing where they are. The service will continue to be provided to GPs for free. In designing the new solution, Capita have engaged with GP practices via a stakeholder forum, user panels, observational studies and a National Engagement Team. The user panels and observational studies have included consideration of any additional time taken to place medical records in secure pouches for transit. This needs to be considered against the time savings that GPs will make by no longer needing to chase records for which they are waiting, since they will be able to track these on the Capita system. Although we do not have a precise estimate, the studies indicate the new process takes a few seconds per record. A national simulation was successfully completed during February 2016, and a live pilot is being undertaken in the West Yorkshire area during March 2016 to further test the solution ahead of national rollout.

General Practitioners

Mr Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he expects the revised Carr-Hill formula to be applied to GP contracts in 2017-18.

Mr Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects the technical review of the Carr-Hill formula to be published.

Alistair Burt: NHS England is working with the British Medical Association’s General Practitioners Committee (GPC), NHS Employers, the Department and academic partners on the review to develop a formula that better reflects the factors that drive workload, such as age or deprivation. It is intended that the review of the Carr-Hill formula will inform the 2017-18 GP contract. This would be subject to agreement with the GPC. NHS England does not intend to publish the outcome of the technical review until agreement has been reached to apply the revised formula.

NHS Trusts: Fines

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reflecting NHS Trust fines in remuneration packages of the managers responsible for the Trust at the time of the incidents in respect of which those fines arose.

Alistair Burt: We have taken steps to ensure that success and failure are not rewarded equally in NHS Boardrooms. We now require all executive pay above £142,500 in National Health Service trusts for new appointments to include at least 10% of basic pay dependent on meeting individual performance targets which are set locally but could include targets set by clinical commissioning groups so that failure to meet them could trigger both a fine and a loss of basic pay for the leaders of the trust. The guidance to NHS trusts from NHS Improvement recommends that this “earn-back” arrangement should also apply to other executive posts in the trust. We also request this from NHS foundation trusts.

General Practitioners

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the cost to small GP practices of providing data they are required to provide to the Government.

Alistair Burt: Although no assessment of costs for small practices is completed, annual clearance processes require an assessment of the estimated completion time for practices. In 2015/16 the estimated completion time for data collection requests was one hour and practices confirm completion time to evaluate that estimate and inform future estimates. Provisional analysis suggested 2015/16 collection took a mean completion time of 49.3 minutes. NHS England recognises the considerable workload challenges facing all practices. The Making Time in General Practice study: www.england.nhs.uk/2015/10/05/gp-appointments was commissioned in order to identify priority areas for reducing burdens on practices. This confirmed that reporting information for getting paid and satisfying regulatory requirements is a significant task for many practices, although practices vary considerably in how difficult they find it. NHS England has committed not only to increasing investment in general practice but to taking national action to reduce burdens such as these. The uplift in investment provided through the recently agreed contract for 2016/17 is the first of a number of changes intended to support practices and freeing time for staff to spend with patients.

General Practitioners: Insurance

Mr Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the merits of bringing forward proposals to extend crown indemnity to GPs.

Alistair Burt: The Department is working with NHS England on a number of steps that form part of a longer term consideration on primary care indemnity cover. This will: look at the historical position on indemnity provision; consider carrying out a scoping exercise on general practitioner (GP) indemnity; and include wider consultation with GPs, patients, defence lawyers, claimant lawyers, medical defence organisations, the NHS Litigation Authority and commercial insurance organisations.

Arthritis

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to introduce inflammatory arthritis clinics across the UK.

Jane Ellison: The configuration of services, including decisions to establish inflammatory arthritis clinics, is a matter for the local National Health Service.

NHS: Procurement

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the Care Quality Commission has conducted an impact assessment of the proposed changes to the contract of Experts by Experience.

Ben Gummer: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator for health and adult social care. The CQC is responsible for its own staffing requirements, including any decisions on contracts around the supplying of experts by experience for its inspections of providers. In line with Cabinet Office approvals processes, the Department: - gave approval for the CQC to invite tenders for the Experts by Experience programme; and- having sought and received clarification of the business case from the CQC, the department approved the business case, to enable the CQC to proceed with finalising new contracts for Experts by Experience. Regulatory impact assessments for the Experts by Experience programme were carried out by the CQC as part of the development of the new regulatory framework in 2014.

Out-patients: Databases

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve the systems for capturing, coding and integrating data from NHS outpatient clinics.

George Freeman: Where local National Health Service trusts have identified local requirements for improving the capture of clinical and administrative information, including those in outpatient departments, funds have been made available to NHS providers for electronic systems through the Integrated Digital Care Fund and the South Local Clinical Systems Programmes. These include patient administration, patient record, and document management systems which will help the recording and accessing data at the point of care. The National Information Board’s Personalised Health and Care 2020 framework, published in November 2014, supports further action to improve systems for capturing, coding and integrating data from NHS outpatient departments. Work being taken forward under Personalised Health and Care 2020 includes:― improving the recording and accessing of data at the point of care - around £1.4 billion of the recently announced £4.2 billion investment in NHS technology over the next five years will support the better collection of data and the commitment to become paper-free at the point of care;― work to examine ways in which outpatient departments can improve the way they capture activity data using standardised coding terminology (SNOMED CT), so that it can be made available to other parts of a hospital, and support reporting and clinical audit; and― a focus on the integration of information within and between care settings, starting with impatient transfers of care, and expanding in 2017-18 to cover other care domains, including the exchange of outpatient information between acute trusts and general practitioner surgeries.

Lipoedema

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will implement a treatment pathway for people who suffer from lipoedema to allow such people to receive liposuction on the NHS.

Jane Ellison: There are several different treatments available for the management of lipoedema such as compression therapy, exercise and massage. There is limited evidence on the efficacy of liposuction for the treatment of lipoedema, and it is not routinely available on the National Health Service.

Nurses: Training

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will conduct an equality impact assessment on the removal of nursing bursaries.

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what timetable he has set for the consultation on reductions to nursing bursaries.

Ben Gummer: The launch date for the public consultation has yet to be finalised but we expect the consultation to be published before the end of March 2016. An Economic Impact Assessment and Equalities Analysis will accompany the consultation.

Progressive Supranuclear Palsy

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have been diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy in each of the last five years; and how many such people were (a) women and (b) men aged (i) under 18, (ii) between 18 and 45, (iii) between 45 and 65 and (iv) over 65.

George Freeman: NHS England does not collect this data centrally. Progressive supranuclear palsy is uncommon and is rare below the age of 60. It can be diagnosed by any neurologist and requires no special tests. The diagnosis is purely clinical.

Progressive Supranuclear Palsy

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve access to specialist health facilities for people with progressive supranuclear palsy.

George Freeman: There is no specific treatment for progressive supranuclear palsy and management of the condition is symptomatic with appropriate Multi-Disciplinary Team care and support from social care. Often patients are referred on to a specialist in movement disorders either in a hospital or neuroscience centre.

Progressive Supranuclear Palsy

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to support research into new treatments to relieve symptoms for people with progressive supranuclear palsy.

George Freeman: The Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. The NIHR is not currently funding any projects relating specifically to new treatments to relieve symptoms for people with PSP. The NIHR has established the Rare Diseases Translation Research Collaboration (TRC) with an initial investment of £20 million over four years. The TRC provides world-class National Health Service research infrastructure to support fundamental discoveries and translation research on rare diseases.

Epilepsy

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have been diagnosed with epilepsy in each of the last ten years; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to commission a National Clinical Audit on the number of avoidable deaths resulting from epilepsy; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve the life outcomes of people diagnosed with epilepsy; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: Information concerning the number of people diagnosed with epilepsy in each of the last 10 years is not collected. NHS England is responsible for securing high quality outcomes for people with long term conditions, including epilepsy. Prompt diagnosis, treatment and seizure control is key to improving outcomes for people with epilepsy. Once diagnosed and receiving the right anti-epileptic drugs the majority of people with epilepsy can achieve good seizure control. In its guideline, Epilepsies: diagnosis and management, published in 2012, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends the people having a first seizure should be seen as soon as possible by a specialist with training and expertise in epilepsy. For those whose epilepsy cannot be satisfactorily controlled or whose condition cannot be appropriately diagnosed NHS England commissions specialised neurological services nationally: www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/d04-neurosci-spec-neuro.pdf NHS England has published adult and paediatric specifications setting out what providers must have in place to offer specialised care for patients with neurological problems, including epilepsy: www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/e09-paedi-neurology.pdf In addition, NHS England also commissions a national Children’s Epilepsy Surgery Service, designed to improve the uptake and access to surgery in those children for whom surgical control or amelioration for their epilepsy is a possibility: www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/e09-child-epilepsy-surg.pdf Regarding clinical audit, the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership commissions, develops and manages the National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme (NCAPOP), on behalf of NHS England, Wales and other devolved administrations. Whilst there is no specific morbidity audit planned that covers all cases of epilepsy, the following NCAPOP audits and reviews are of relevance: - The audit for paediatric epilepsy, which is being re-commissioned this year, looks at the quality of healthcare services for children and young people with epilepsy in the United Kingdom. The audit is managed by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and the first audit report can be found at the following link: www.rcpch.ac.uk/news/variation-care-children-epilepsy-revealed-first-uk-wide-audit - The 2013 review report into cases of mortality and prolonged seizures in children and young people with epilepsies that was managed by the RCPCH. The report is available at the following link: www.rcpch.ac.uk/child-health-reviews-uk/programme-findings/programme-findings-chr-uk - The recently commissioned National Mortality Case Record Review; Programme for England and Scotland which aims to improve understanding and learning about problems in care that may have contributed to a patient’s death: www.rcplondon.ac.uk/news/rcp-hosts-pioneering-national-mortality-case-record-review-programme - The Maternal, Newborn and Infant Clinical Outcome Review Programme will be undertaking a review of cases of mortality and morbidity for pregnant women with severe epilepsy that will report in December 2017. This will be carried out by MBRRACE-UK at The University of Oxford. Further information can be found at the following: www.npeu.ox.ac.uk/mbrrace-uk/topic-proposals

Stem Cells: Research

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2016 to Question 28970, how much public funding for stem cell research has been allocated through the National Institute for Health Research in each year since 2003-04.

George Freeman: The information requested is not available. Spend on research funded directly by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is categorised by Health Research Classification System (HRCS) health categories. There is no HRCS category for stem cell research. Prior to the establishment of the NIHR in April 2006, the main part of the Department’s total health research expenditure was devolved to and managed by National Health Service organisations. The NHS organisations reported on their use of these allocations in annual research and development reports. These reports estimated total, aggregated spend on certain priority areas but spend on stem cell research was not estimated. From April 2006 to March 2009, transitional research funding was allocated to these organisations at reducing levels. At the same time, an increasing amount of NHS research funding was awarded competitively through new NIHR programmes and schemes.

Mental Illness: Surveys

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects the 2014 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey to be published.

Alistair Burt: The 2014 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey is currently scheduled to be published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre in September 2016.

Mental Health Services: Females

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and what proportion of women accessing mental health services experienced sexual or domestic abuse in each of the last five years.

Alistair Burt: Information on the number and the proportion of women who access mental health services having experienced sexual or domestic abuse is not held centrally.

Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) children and (b) adults of each gender have experienced (a) sexual and (b) physical abuse in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: There is no general data collection collected by the health services on the numbers of children and adults who have experienced sexual abuse or physical abuse. Specific data collections for the purposes of prevention and targeting support are published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre. The Safeguarding Adults Collection reported annually by the Health and Social Care Information Centre focuses on adults at risk of abuse for whom safeguarding concerns are raised with local councils which instigate investigations under the local safeguarding procedures. The data includes referrals for physical or sexual abuse. The most recent report, published in October 2015, can be viewed at: http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB18869/sar-1415-rep.pdf. In addition, the Crime Survey for England and Wales includes data on sexual abuse of adults aged 16 to 59 years old: http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/compendium/focusonviolentcrimeandsexualoffences/yearendingmarch2015

Mental Illness: Prescription Drugs

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost was to the NHS of prescriptions dispensed for psychopharmaceutical drugs in each year since 2010.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many prescriptions have been dispensed for psychopharmaceutical drugs in each year since 2010.

Alistair Burt: We have interpreted “psychopharmaceutical drugs” as relating to anti-psychotic medicines. The requested information is provided in the table. Anti-psychotic prescription items written in the United Kingdom and dispensed in the community in England 1 Items (000s)Net ingredient cost (£000s)20108,883.1287,810.220119,254.0307,364.820129,546.5189,560.820139,969.3155,922.3201410,484.6157,728.62015 (Q1-Q3) 28,091.3114,889.0 Source: Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system data provided by the Health and Social Care Information Centre Notes: 1 As defined by British National Formulary section 4.2 drugs used in psychoses and related disorders, using the classification system prior to edition 70.2 Only quarters 1-3 (January to September) are available. Full year data will be published on 7 April 2016 and will be available using the following link: http://www.hscic.gov.uk/pubs/prescostanalysiseng2015

Social Work

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what support his Department provides for local authorities to share best practice on adult social work.

Alistair Burt: Raising the quality and consistency of social work practice remains a priority for the Department and for Government. We continue to provide local authorities with the tools and resources to enable them to share good practice.  Principal Social Workers are now in place in nearly every local authority and a number of National Health Service trusts, responsible for strong practice leadership in their organisations. They are supported by strong national and regional networks, with links to regional Association of Directors of Adult Social Services networks, helping to identify and share good social work practice. A statement on the role and the responsibility of local authorities to appoint a principal social worker in adult social care, has been included in revised statutory guidance accompanying the Care Act, which the Department published on 10 March. In addition, the Department is working with Skills for Care and the Social Care Institute for Excellence to assist local authorities in the implementation of the Care Act and the sharing of best practice across the whole of the adult social care sector, including social work.

Health Services

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidelines are issued to providers of NHS services on marketing of NHS services alongside private services.

George Freeman: A code of practice for the promotion of National Health Service-funded services was published in March 2008 and no further guidance has been produced since then. With regard to use of the NHS Trademark (logo) the NHS Identity guidelines: www.nhsidentity.nhs.uk set out how the NHS Trademark can and cannot be used.

Lip Reading: Education

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the number of lipreading and managing hearing loss classes available; and if he will ask Public Health England to investigate the availability of such classes.

Alistair Burt: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills supports lipreading, British Sign Language (BSL) and managing hearing loss provision in England through the Adult Education Budget (AEB). Colleges and training providers have the freedom and flexibility to determine how they use their AEB, working with Local Enterprise Partnerships and local commissioners to determine the appropriate distribution of funding to best meet the needs of their local learners and businesses, this includes both lip reading and BSL qualifications where there is a local need for these. It is not Public Health England’s role to investigate the availability of lip reading and managing hearing loss classes. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is leading a review of the market for BSL and communication support for people who are deaf, deafblind or have a hearing loss. DWP is currently analysing the feedback received from a consultation on Communications for people who are deaf or have hearing loss: market review which ran from 4 January to 4 March.